European Opera-directing Prize

The European Opera-directing Prize (EOP) is a major international competition for young opera stage directors. The aim is to identify, develop and promote talented stage directors and their collaborators, and offer help in establishing their careers.

The EOP was founded in 2000 by Camerata Nuova e.V., a non-profit association based in Wiesbaden, comprising a circle of opera lovers from business and society. Camerata Nuova's vision was to find a new way to select and promote talented young stage directors. Directors and General Managers, incuding Achim Thorwald, then director of the Hessisches Staatstheater, Dr. Gerald Mortier, then director of the Salzburg Festival, and Klaus Zehelein, then director of the Staatsoper, Staatstheater Stuttgart, have contributed to the success of the project. Opera Europa has been an active partner of the EOP since the very beginning. 

Each edition of the EOP involves a collaboration between Camerata Nuova, Opera Europa, a host theatre and a jury of distinguished opera professionals. Applicants are invited to submit their own original concept for staging a given title. The first prize consists of a contract to direct a major production of that title for the host theatre. In total, there have been 13 editions of the EOP since its launch in 2000, with 13 different host theatres in 10 countries. On average, each edition attracts applications from around 80 teams, representing over 25 different nationalities. 

From 2025, the EOP enters a new chapter. With ongoing investment from Camerata Nuova, Opera Europa is taking over delivery of the EOP. We are delighted to be running the upcoming edition back in the city where it all started, with our dear colleagues at none other than Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. Read more about the finalists for the fourteenth edition of the EOP here.