Overview

• The supervisory board of the Hamburgische Staatsoper and Demis Volpi agreed to terminate his contract immediately at the end of this season despite his plans for artistic and structural reforms.
• More than half of the company’s dancers lodged formal complaints in April, alleging a toxic work environment characterized by poor communication and a lack of transparency.
• Deputy ballet director Lloyd Riggins, operations director Nicolas Hartmann and deputy school director Gigi Hyatt have been named to lead the company through the 2025/2026 season.
• John Neumeier, Volpi’s predecessor, praised the interim leadership team and said he hopes the dancers can now work under more stable conditions.
• Hamburg’s Kultursenator Carsten Brosda has launched a structured search process to identify a long-term successor to Volpi.