The Bayreuth Festival is pleased to announce the appointment of Ulrich Jagels as its new Commercial Director, succeeding Holger von Berg.
Ulrich Jagels, a business economist, has held positions at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival Foundation, Rundfunk Orchester und Chöre gGmbH Berlin (roc berlin), Städtische Theater Chemnitz gGmbH and, most recently, as Administrative Director of the Leipzig Opera, where he was responsible, among other things, for several construction projects with an estimated total volume of 30 million euros – including the elaborate renovation of the Musikalische Komödie, one of the few German theaters specifically for the operetta genre. “I feel that the move from Richard Wagner’s birthplace to what is probably the world’s best-known festival is a special career step,” said Ulrich Jagels. “Now I am particularly looking forward to the atmosphere and the associated challenges on Festival Hill and the city of Bayreuth, which made it possible for Wagner to create this special festival venue. I am full of respect for the efforts it always takes to interpret his work and to bring it to performance musically and scenically.” The Bayreuth Festival is looking forward to the cooperation and hopes to have not only an excellent business economist but also an empathetic managing director in its ranks, who will be able to help the house achieve the necessary good and stable operating climate. Minister of Art Bernd Sibler welcomed the decision of the shareholders’ meeting of Bayreuth Festspiele GmbH: “Ulrich Jagels knows how to manage cultural enterprises. I am very pleased that he is now moving from the Leipzig Opera to the Grüner Hügel in Bayreuth. With his understanding of artistic processes and of Richard Wagner’s work, as well as his experience in large-scale construction projects, he brings with him a complete package of skills to successfully tackle the upcoming projects of the Bayreuth Festival. I wish him all, all the best for his new task.”

(c) Kirsten Nijhof