News
For more than ten years Rolando Villazón has been adding to the worldwide lustre of the International Mozarteum Foundation. In the light of an outstanding 2026 Mozart Week Festival he has now been invited to remain the Foundation’s artistic director until 2031. He has been the intendant of the Mozart Week Festival since 2019 and in the summer of 2021 he assumed full responsibility for the artistic running of the Mozarteum Foundation. In 2022 his contract was initially extended to 2028 and the Mozarteum Foundation’s board of directors has now decided that Rolando Villazón will continue to be in charge of the Foundation’s artistic destiny until 2031.
According to the Foundation’s president, Johannes Honsig-Erlenburg, “It is a stroke of supreme good fortune that the Mozarteum Foundation has secured the services of Rolando Villazón, who is second to none in his ability to understand, live and share his love of the Mozart phenomenon. Under his guidance the Mozart Week Festival has become even more of an international powerhouse and we are delighted that he will continue to accompany us on our journey with his effervescent ideas and ebullient creativity and will remain our artistic director until 2031, the year in which our Foundation marks the 150th anniversary of its formation. With his proven expertise and international network of contacts he will safeguard the continuing growth and development of the Foundation’s artistic profile and ensure that the Mozart Week Festival can look forward to a secure future and that the annual concert season and the Foundation’s artistic activities in general will continue to prosper.”
Linus Klumpner, the Mozarteum Foundation’s CEO designate, adds: “Art and culture can develop their full potential only when they are combined with real feelings. In Rolando Villazón we have arguably the most passionate of all Mozartians at our side. He has helped to ensure that the importance of Mozart’s life and work is understood far beyond the confines of Salzburg and is appreciated throughout the entire world. Knowing that he is a part of the Mozarteum Foundation and that we can plan its future course for another five years holds out the promise of an exciting voyage of discovery in the course of which we will explore a whole variety of new facets of the world of a composer who will continue to be a source of inspiration for people of all generations.”
Rolando Villazón himself has said how much he is looking forward to the next five years and has already revealed some of the highlights of the 2027 Mozart Week Festival, adding: “I cannot tell you how happy I am to be able to continue my work as artistic director of the Mozarteum Foundation and as intendant of the Mozart Week Festival until 2031. This year’s Mozart Week Festival has shown me once again what unique artistic experiences and what a wonderful sense of community both Mozart and the Mozarteum Foundation can vouchsafe. The whole town celebrates and lives for our admired and beloved Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. Salzburg and the Mozarteum Foundation are my artistic home and it is a great honour and a delightful responsibility for me to be able to spend the next five years working with all my wonderful colleagues, with our new CEO Linus Klumpner and especially with all the great artists who are so pleased to join us here in Salzburg.”
Front row (l. to r.): Foundation president Johannes Honsig-Erlenburg and Rolando Villazón (artistic director)
Back row (l. to r.): Rainer Heneis (CEO of the Mozarteum Foundation), Linus Klumpner (CEO designate of the Mozarteum Foundation) and Christoph Andexlinger (vice-president of the Mozarteum Foundation)
© Wolfgang Lienbacher