Sebastian Baumgarten

Sebastian Baumgarten, born in East Berlin in 1969, studied opera directing at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin and subsequently worked as an assistant director with, among others, Ruth Berghaus, Einar Schleef and Robert Wilson.

After positions as senior director at the Staatstheater Kassel, where he received the Götz Friedrich Prize for his production of Tosca, and as chief director at the Meininger Theater, he established himself as a major director working at the intersection of spoken drama and music theatre.

In 2006, the critics of the journal Opernwelt named him Director of the Year for his production of Orest at the Komische Oper Berlin. In 2011, he opened the 100th Bayreuth Festival with Wagner’s Tannhäuser, and in 2013 his Zurich production of Brecht’s Saint Joan of the Stockyards was invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen.

In 2025, Baumgarten received the Oper! Award in the category “Best Rediscovery” for his production of Roman Haubenstock-Ramati’s Amerika at the Zurich Opera House. He has worked at opera and theatre houses including the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, the Residenztheater München, Schauspiel Köln, Zurich Opera, and, continuously since 2008, the Maxim Gorki Theater. Since 2013, he has headed the directing programme at the August Everding Theatre Academy in Munich. Since the 2026/27 season, Baumgarten has been lead director at the Maxim Gorki Theater.