Munich Opera Festival — Edition 2025

From June 27 to July 31, 2025, the Bavarian State Opera celebrated its 150th anniversary with the Opera Festival. The "Festive Summer" was founded in 1875. The highlight of the anniversary was a festive event on June 26 at the National Theatre.

The two festival premieres were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Don Giovanni" (premiere June 27) and Gabriel Fauré's "Pénélope" (premiere July 18) — the latter being the first performance at the Bavarian State Opera. A total of 13 opera productions, performances by the Bavarian State Ballet, and seven recitals personally curated by Diana Damrau, Gerald Finley, Christian Gerhaher, Julia Kleiter, and others shaped the program. The thematic focus was: "Myths and their transformations.".

Festival Premieres 2025

• "Don Giovanni" (Mozart) — Premiere June 27, 2025, National Theatre
• "Pénélope" (Fauré) — Premiere July 18, 2025, first performance at the Bavarian State Opera

Recitals

• Diana Damrau
• Gerald Finley
• Christian Gerhaher
• Julia Kleiter
• Other international soloists

Anniversary Program

• Festive event "150 Years of Opera Festival" on June 26, 2025, at the National Theatre
• Chamber concerts by the Bavarian State Orchestra
• Baroque concerts at the Cuvilliés-Theater

• 150 years of festival tradition
• Premieres "Don Giovanni" and "Pénélope"
• 13 opera productions, 7 recitals
• Theme "Myths and their transformations"