Young director Lydia Steier heads the Ruhrtriennale from 2027!

Young director Lydia Steier heads the Ruhrtriennale from 2027!

Bochum, DE - The successful American director Lydia Steier will take over the directorate of the Ruhrtriennale for three years from the 2027 season. This was announced on July 8, 2025 by the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Culture Ina Brandes in Bochum. Steier succeeds Ivo van Hove, who presents his second season from August 2025. Their appointment was unanimously by the supervisory board of Kultur Ruhr GmbH, and the state cabinet also decided on the same day. Lydia Steier will officially take office on November 1, 2026.

As the most recent artistic direction of the festival, Steier will enrich the Ruhrtriennale with a wide range of program items. In the past, she has worked as an opera director on well -known institutions such as the Frankfurt Opera, the Opéra National de Paris and the Salzburg Festival. Her directorial career began in 2009 at the German National Theater Weimar. In addition, she was nominated several times for the German Theater Prize "Der Faust" and awarded in 2024 as "director of the year".

a "love letter to art"

Lydia Steier sees the Ruhrtriennale as a “love letter to art” and plans a program that particularly promotes encounters and participation. In her approach, it emphasizes the importance of the Ruhr area as a cultural space and wants to actively integrate communities into the festival. Garrelt Duin, regional director of the Ruhr Regional Association, was positive about Steier's connection to the region, which could strengthen the local integration of the festival. A future -oriented plan!

The Ruhrtriennale, which was launched in 2002, uses old industrial halls, heaps and coal mines as stages for experimental music theater, drama and dance. The International Art Festival takes place in late summer and invites artists from all over the world, which contributes to cultural exchange. Last year, 70,000 visitors were able to enjoy the events in Bochum, Duisburg and Essen.

look into the future

The upcoming program of the Ruhrtriennale, which is curated by Ivo van Hove for the season from August 21 to September 21, 2025, comprises 35 productions and numerous premieres, which are presented by around 630 artists from over 38 countries.

Steier is particularly known for her work in the field of new music and has dealt intensively with premieres of contemporary composers. In the future, she also wants to continue this tradition and continue the history of the festival. With her creative vision and its pronounced focus on community, Lydia Steier could bring new impulses into the traditional series of the Ruhrtriennale.

The impending commitment of Lydia Steier as director of the dynamic change is the design of the festival excitingly redesigningly. Their ability to combine classic and modern repertoire will surely be a further step towards enriching cultural life in the Ruhr area

vienna.at reports that Steier is known for strong staging and can show numerous award-winning works. In addition, Land.nrw presented the extensive program of the Ruhrtriennale, which not only attracts local artists. For a comprehensive overview of further cultural festivals and events, a look at Festival-alarm.com .