Innsbruck Festival of Early Music announces structural transformation

September 2023 will see a change in management structure for the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music with operations director Mag. Eva-Maria Sens stepping into the role of artistic director, replacing harpsichordist and conductor Ottavio Dantone who will move into the rotational role of musical director for a four-year period from 2024.

This change in artistic and musical direction is a result of the festival’s structural transformation which will come into effect in Autumn next year. The musical director role can be held for a maximum of five years, allowing for a periodic injection of fresh ideas from new artists.

Dr Beate Palfrader, Innsbruck’s councillor for culture, said: ‘Ottavio Dantone is an artist of international renown and has already thrilled Innsbruck Festival audiences several times with his ensemble Accademia Bizantina. We are convinced that with his musical expertise and charisma he will give important new impulses to the Early Music Festival.’

The festival’s artistic and musical directors will be joined by an executive commercial director, Dr Markus Lutz, who will move from his current role of managing director. Lutz has said the new structure will ‘enable us to react competently and flexibly to developments and to lead the Innsbruck Festival into the future in constantly changing times.’

Founded in 1976, the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music is an annual celebration of historically informed musical performance in historic venues across the Austrian city of Innsbruck. This year’s festival will run from 12 July to 28 August with the festival’s annual Cesti Competition of Baroque opera running from 23 to 28 August.

You can find out more about the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music here.