Aria's Artists Management

Manfred Schweigkofler - director

Manfred Schweigkofler became the Intendant (manager and artistic director) of the Bolzano City Theatre in 2001, which - under his guidance - has experienced an internationally recognized upswing. Particulary in the field of dance and crossover, in particular in the field of contemporary art his work has been highly praised by both the public and the media. His work has also been appreciated by the Italian Minister of Culture who, on 28 February 2007, awarded the municipal theatre in Bolzano the highly coveted title “Teatro di tradizione”. This title has only been bestowed on a small number of theatres in Italy and honours the theatre’s courage and European vision.

Since 2002 Manfred Schweigkofler has been also responsible for the international dance festival “Bolzano Danza”, which in 2011 is celebrating its 27 edition.

He learned the stage business by working his way up from the very bottom: for many years he was an actor himself, he has been directing plays for the past 15 years, was the lead singer in a rock band for nearly twenty years and has both created and organized numerous cultural events. In 1989 he formed his first theatre group, the “Kleinkunstszene”, and directed the first “Kleinkunstkeller” in Bolzano. In 1992 he was co-founder of the “Vereinigten Bühnen Bozen“ and in 1996 he co-founded the “Carambolage” theatre. The same year he created and co-founded the “Musical School” in Bolzano.

In 1999/00 he is comíssioner at the Expo 2000 in Hannover.

In January 2007 he co-directed together with Gustav Kuhn the first edition of the international festival “Wintermezzo”.
In February 2007 he directed the opening ceremony of the Biathlon World Championships in Anterselva. The show was transmitted in 27 countries.

Manfred Schweigkofler is also active in cultural management and for ten years was the artistic director of the international Festival “Cabarena”. As a former co-owner of a communications’ company and a publishing house he is also well prepared about the communicative and legal aspects of the theatre world.

Since 2004 he is concentrated in the direction and production of his own works. His latest productions including Rockquiem, an original rock dance performance of Mozart’s Requiem after his own idea and conception, Le Fee du Rhin, the first complete production of the unknown Offenbach Opera, Steel, a popular dance show focusing on the theme steel, and a dance performance of Matthäuspassion by J.S. Bach in collaboration with Ismael Ivo, have had great success in Italy, as well as Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Slovenia and Czech Republic.
In january 2009 he directed the higly acclaimed fist staging of Boesman´s Julie in Italy, in 2010 Elektra for the opera houses in Ferrara, Piacenza, Modena and Bolzano. In 2011 he staged Beethoven´s Fidelio for Bolzano and Ravenna and Gounod´s Romeo & Juliette for the Opera Company of Philadelphia.

His next opera directions will be: Romeo & Juliette for Piacenza, Modena and Bolzano (2011); the italian premiere of Zemlinsky´s Der König Kandaules for Teatro Massimo di Palermo; Verdi´s Don Carlo (2012) for the Finnish National Opera Helsinki, Der Rosenkavalier (2013) by Richard Straussand Verdi´s Simon Boccanegra (2013).

Born in 1962, he is married to Dorotea for 22 year now, has 4 children and 1 grandchild.

Artists Management
phone / fax +39 0473 200 200

e-mail: info@arias.it