Salzburg fixes end-date for its longterm chief

Helga Rabl-Stadler, 68, has been prolonged as Festival President for three more years, until end-September 2020.

But the wording of the announcement suggests it may be her last term.

Rabl-Stadler, a member of an influential media family, has been in charge since January 1995.

press release:

In its meeting today, the Supervisory Board of the Salzburg Festival made an important decision regarding the institution’s future.

“Helga Rabl-Stadler will remain Festival President for another three years; her contract was extended until September 30, 2020,” Wilfried Haslauer announced as the legal representative of the Salzburg Festival Fund on December 2, 2016. Raimund Steiner of Egon Zehnder had presented the results of the selection process to the Supervisory Board.  “With Helga Rabl-Stadler as President, Markus Hinterhäuser as Artistic Director and the new Business Director Lukas Crepaz, the Festival has an outstanding team leading it into the future,” said Hans Scharfetter, Member of the Salzburg State Parliament and currently Chairman of the Festival’s Supervisory Board.

“I am delighted that the Supervisory Board has expressed its continued trust in me to lead the Festival in the run-up to the anniversary year of 2020. Together with my colleagues in the directorate, I want to broaden and secure the Festival’s organizational and financial basis, which Markus Hinterhäuser needs for his extremely interesting programmes,” said Helga Rabl-Stadler.

“The fact that Helga Rabl-Stadler, with all her experience, loyalty, her wisdom and her keen eye, has been confirmed in her office for another three years is a great stroke of fortune, not just for me, but most importantly for the Salzburg Festival,” declared Artistic Director Markus Hinterhäuser.