Munich Biennale Will Get New Artistic Direction In 2026

The Munich Biennale will be directed by Katrin Beck and Manuela Kerer from 2026. They succeed Daniel Ott and Manos Tsangaris, who have been responsible for the programme since 2016 and will remain so until 2024. Munich City Council made this decision concerning the Munich Biennale today. It is the world's only international festival exclusively premiering new music theatre and has been hosted by the City of Munich since 1986.

Mayor of the City of Munich, Katrin Habenschaden: „Under the new artistic direction duo Manuela Kerer and Katrin Beck, we want to develop the festival's international profile and also open up and take root in the urban community. Both players are well-connected and ideally qualified for this balancing act."

Anton Biebl, Cultural Advisor of the City of Munich: "Katrin Beck and Manuela Kerer have demonstrated great professionalism and imaginativeness in their previous activities. The two of them stand for uncompromising artistic quality and an increased focus on outreach."

Italian Manuela Kerer is a composer, qualified lawyer and psychologist. Her works are performed at festivals including Ultraschall Berlin, Wien Modern, the Seoul Art Center, Kampnagel Hamburg, the Accademia Filarmonica Romana and have won numerous awards. Professor at Bolzano Conservatory of Music since 2023, Manuela Kerer is a member of numerous juries and is active in music outreach in collaboration with various festivals. From 2010 to 2020, the South Tyrolean daily newspaper "Dolomiten" published the weekly column "Kerers Saite" about music and the world, and RAI South Tyrol broadcast the radio programme "Querschnitte". Since 2017 she has been the curator of Ensemble Reconsil Vienna, and a member of the board of trustees of the national competition "Jugend komponiert", Jeunesses Musicales Germany since 2022. Manuela Kerer lives with her family in Brixen, South Tyrol.

Musicologist, cultural manager and arts educator Katrin Beck has worked intensively with the Siemens Stiftung and the Goethe-Institut for many years in a variety of contexts, including the conception and founding of the project "Music in Africa". In addition to providing curation advice and mentoring for musicians and composers, she also sits on various professional juries. She is responsible for Munich Chamber Orchestra's music outreach programme and has headed the artistic operations office of Munich Biennale since 2016. Katrin Beck lives with her family in Munich.

The direction team Katrin Beck/Manuela Kerer will further cultivate the innovative power of new music theatre productions. "The Munich Biennale - a festival by and for the city - will continue to open a window on the world in the spirit of Hans Werner Henze", says Katrin Beck, "intensifying the local, national and international contemporary music network through various formats and collaborations." At the same time, new aspects will be highlighted. Music outreach, for example, will play a greater role than previously. Manuela Kerer, who lived in Munich for several years and works with its Children's and Youth Museum, the Munich Biennale, the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, Munich Adult Education Centre and ensembles such as Munich Chamber Orchestra, is delighted: "Artistic stimuli aimed at young audiences and sustainable, collaborative creative processes are of fundamental importance to us. We will create a lot of space for interdisciplinary projects, experimentation, quality and imagination, appealing to international specialist audiences as well as those here in Munich."

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