Breaking: Katherina Wagner, seriously ill, leaves Bayreuth job

The Bayreuth Festival has announced that Katharina Wagner has a longterm illness and cannot continue as director ‘until further notice’.

The operation of the festival will be undertaken by an interim management.

This is all they are saying at the moment.

We wish Katharina a full recovery.

Full statement: Katharina Wagner sei längerfristig erkrankt und kann ihr Amt als Leiterin der Bayreuther Festspiele “bis auf weiteres” nicht ausüben, teilten die Festspiele am Montag mit. Der Betrieb der Festspiele wird durch eine Übergangslösung weiterhin gesichert.

UPDATE: Katharina Wagner, 42, became co-director of the festival in 2008 with her half-sister Eva Wagner-Pasquier, as successors to their father, Wolfgang Wagner. Katharina has been in sole charge since 2015. Her contract was recently extended to 2025.

It is understood that she is to be replaced in her absence by the former commercial director, Heinz-Dieter Sense, alongside the managing director, Holger von Berg.

UPDATE: For the first time, there is no Wagner in charge at Bayreuth