Eberhard Friedrich, the long-serving chorus director of Germany’s world-renowned Bayreuth Festival, has resigned. Although his contract was due to end in 2025, he chose to end his tenure early due to disagreements with festival management.
Friedrich, 66, joined the Bayreuth Festival in 1993 and ascended to the position of Chorus Master in 2000. Despite achieving tremendous success over the decades, he cited recent changes that “could potentially impact both the sound, musical quality, and precision of the choir” in his decision to step down. He pointed to budget cuts due to pandemic-related reductions and rising costs leading to concerns that “mass layoffs” would impact the chorus.
Bayreuth announced in Nov. 2023 it would reduce its chorus by 40% beginning in 2024, lowering the number of permanent singers employed by the festival from 134 to 80. The organization has since clarified this by saying it would use two choruses, a “main” chorus and a “specialized” chorus, allowing all 134 singers to remain employed for works that require a larger ensemble.
Clarifications notwithstanding, Bayreuth is now searching for a new chorus director. The organization said it would provide a succession update after the current festival ends on Aug. 27.
