Cahn moves from Geneva to Berlin
Aviel Cahn, General Director of the Grand Théâtre de Genève, will take over as Artistic Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin in August 2026. He succeeds Dietmar Schwarz, whose contract ends in summer 2025.
After holding positions at the China National Symphony Orchestra in Beijing, the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki and the Stadttheater Bern, among others, Cahn took over the direction of Opera Vlaanderen Antwerp/Ghent in 2009, where he was artistic director until 2019. He is also President of the European Music Theater Academy based in Vienna and is a guest lecturer at the University of Vienna and the Mozarteum Salzburg.
The opera house in Berlin-Charlottenburg, which was opened in 1912 and destroyed during the war, was reopened as the Deutsche Oper Berlin on September 24, 1961. Since then, it has been Berlin's largest and Germany's second largest music theater - and one of the most modern in Europe. The building, designed by architect Fritz Bornemann, has 1859 seats.
The current artistic director Dietmar Schwarz places an emphasis on contemporary music theater. Together with General Music Director Donald Runnicles, he also pursues the presentation of works by Benjamin Britten throughout the season.
