20th Munich Biennale – Festival for New Music Theatre 8 – 20 May 2026

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More information on the world premieres and the festival calendar can be found »HERE«.

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The Munich Biennale has a new artistic director duo and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2026.

Founded in the 1980s by Hans Werner Henze as a festival for world premieres and a laboratory for new and emerging music theatre, the Munich Biennale enters a new chapter. With Katrin Beck and Manuela Kerer as the new artistic directors, the festival is set to continue Henze’s legacy—focusing on experimentation, openness, dialogue, participation, the involvement of local communities, and international exchange.

SAVE THE DATE 20th Munich Biennale – Festival for New Music Theatre

With their diverse cultural backgrounds, the artists explore the complexity of our present times: What is the role of truth? What potential lies in illusion? And how do virtual worlds shape our perception of reality? From established performance formats to interactive games, installation-based presentations, and attempts to make music tangible beyond acoustic experience—anything is possible.

For the first time, the Munich Biennale issued an open call on the theme of Martial Arts. Out of 85 submissions, a seven-strong international jury selected the project by Chilean composer Maximiliano Soto Mayorga and the two artists David Camargo and Amauta García.

2026 Programme Features

11 productions with world premieres by Asia Ahmetjanova, Zara Ali, Eugene Birman, Margareta Ferek-Petrić, Julie Herndon, Piyawat Louilarpprasert, Monthati Zenzile Masebe, Maximiliano Alejandro Soto Mayorga, Ailís Ní Ríain, and Yuri Umemoto
2 of these productions are for young audiences, with premieres by Margareta Ferek-Petrić and Piyawat Louilarpprasert
Co-productions with: Ars Electronica, Bavarian State Opera, Black Box Teater Oslo, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Klang Festival Copenhagen Experimental Music, Klangspuren Schwaz, Münchner Volkstheater, Schauburg Munich, Staatstheater Stuttgart/JOiN, Styriarte Graz, Theaterakademie August Everding Munich, Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, Ultima Oslo
Installations, discourse, interventions, festival talks, and a campus (in collaboration with Anton Bruckner Private University Linz and the Institute for Theatre Studies at LMU Munich)