Founded in 1988 by Hans Werner Henze, the Munich Biennale is one of the world’s leading world festivals for new music theatre premieres. In 1996, composer, conductor and former artistic director of the Hamburg State Opera Peter Ruzicka took over as artistic director. The first joint directorship was held by composers Daniel Ott and Manos Tsangaris from 2016 to 2024. 

From 2026, musicologist and cultural manager Katrin Beck and composer Manuela Kerer will be responsible for the programming of the festival, which is organised by the City of Munich’s Department of Culture. They plan to extend the scope of the Biennale in all directions, both stylistically and geographically, spurring on the international new music theatre network to fresh collaborations. The concept of outreach is also written large, as a means of translation and transfer into our society.