Austrian stage director Valentin Schwarz studied opera directing in Vienna. In the 2017 "Ring Award-Competition for Stage Directing" he won
the first prize and several special prices, including the audience
award, for his concept of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" which will be
co-produced by the opera houses in Montpellier and Karlsruhe.
His production of Puccini's "Turandot" will open next season in
Darmstadt where he already staged Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera". In
Staatsoperette Dresden he will present Offenbach's "Les brigands".
Current productions took place in Wien and Köln. During his studies
which he passed with distinction, he staged Debussy's "Le Martyre de
Saint Sébastien" and Lehár's "Giuditta", before staging Bartók's
"Bluebeard's Castle" and Bizet's Carmen in Weimar.
He completed his artistic education as an assistant stage director in
German opera houses for Jossi Wieler, Armin Petras and Kirill
Serebrennikov and was the scenic leader of several revivals. Beside the
"Ring Award", Valentin Schwarz recieved merit-based scholarships from
Vienna university and the Austrian Ministry of Culture and is former
fellow of Opera Europa, Pro Scientia and the
Richard-Wagner-Stipendiumstiftung Bayreuth.
In 2020, Valentin Schwarz will present a new production of Wagner's
"Ring des Nibelungen" at the Bayreuth Festival.