Cologne Opera is one of the major opera houses with a long tradition in Germany. Since the 2022/23 season, its artistic leadership has been in the hands of General Manager Hein Mulders. Grand opera, exciting music theatre, world-class premieres and the preservation of works from the classical repertoire are at the heart of the programme. In addition, Cologne Children’s Opera offers music theatre for young audiences throughout the entire season. The heart of Cologne Opera is formed by the opera ensemble and the Opera Studio, joined by numerous international guest artists. Cologne Opera is a cooperation partner of many international opera houses and festivals, including the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Bregenz Festival, the Teatro Real in Madrid, Theater an der Wien, the Opéra Comique in Paris, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Teatro La Fenice in Venice and many others. The international standing of Cologne Opera has continued to grow since the opening of the opera house at Offenbachplatz in 1957. At that time, Cologne productions such as Weber’s “Oberon”, featuring Leonie Rysanek and Karl Liebl, as well as the world premiere of Wolfgang Fortner’s “Bluthochzeit”, were accompanied by guest performances including those of La Scala in Milan with Maria Callas and the Ballet of the Paris Opera. The era of General Manager Oscar Fritz Schuh and General Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch from 1959 to 1964 included, among other things, the production of Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”, directed by Wieland Wagner. During Michael Hampe’s tenure as General Manager from 1975 to 1995, Cologne Opera established a worldwide network. Since 1961, Cologne Opera has also had an International Opera Studio, the first institution of its kind in the German-speaking world dedicated to supporting young talent. Together with the Gürzenich Orchestra, Cologne Opera is a venue for music theatre of the highest quality. Significant world and first performances of contemporary works, including Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Die tote Stadt” (world premiere in 1920), Alexander von Zemlinsky’s “Der Zwerg” (world premiere in 1922; new production in 2022), Franz Schreker’s “Irrelohe” (world premiere in 1924), Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s “Die Soldaten” (world premiere in 1965; new production in 2018) and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Sonntag aus Licht” (world premiere in 2011), have provided strong artistic impulses from the cathedral city. From 2015 to 2026, the Staatenhaus in Cologne-Deutz served as a venue for Cologne Opera while the opera house at Offenbachplatz was being renovated. Highlights there included the first revival in Cologne of Zimmermann’s “Die Soldaten” (2018), the complete performance of Hector Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” (2022), Zemlinsky’s “Der Zwerg” to mark the centenary of its world premiere in Cologne (2022), Richard Strauss’s “Die Frau ohne Schatten” (2023), the world premieres of Ondřej Adámek’s “INES” (2024) and Philippe Manoury’s “Die letzten Tage der Menschheit” (2025), as well as “Rheingold” and “Die Walküre” as the beginning of a new production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (2025–2028). In September 2026, the renovated theatres of the City of Cologne will be ceremonially reopened at Offenbachplatz, once again becoming the home of Cologne Opera.