The Götz Friedrich Prize for the 2023/2024 season goes to Lisenka Heijboer Castañón for her production of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO THE OTHER MARY by John Adams at the Vienna Volksoper. Chaired by the artistic director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dietmar Schwarz, the jury voted in favor of awarding the 5,000 euro prize to the Dutch-Peruvian director. The award ceremony will take place on October 16, 2024 in the foyer of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

For over twenty years, the Götz Friedrich Prize has been one of the most important institutions for the promotion of outstanding talent in the field of music theater directing - award winners such as Stefan Herheim, Nadja Loschky and Sebastian Baumgarten are just a few examples. After being organized by the German-Speaking Opera Conference in recent years, the Götz Friedrich Prize has returned to the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the main place of activity of its dedicatee, since the 2022/2023 season.

The members of the jury are Viktor Schoner (Stuttgart State Opera), Ina Karr (Lucerne Theater), Andrea Moses (Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar), Jörg Königsdorf (Deutsche Oper Berlin) and Martin G. Berger (director). The Götz Friedrich Prize is financially supported by the Förderkreis of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

The Dutch-Peruvian director Lisenka Heijboer Castañón made her debut on the main stage of the Dutch National Opera Amsterdam in 2020 with the world premiere of FAUST (WORKING TITLE) and, following this success, was entrusted with directing the music theater project I HAVE MISSED YOU FOREVER as part of the Amsterdam Opera forward festival in 2022. Also in 2022, she directed (together with Zack Winokur) the new production of TRISTAN UND ISOLDE at the Santa Fé Opera and KLASSIKERMASCHINE: DON GIOVANNI at Theater Basel. Heijboer Castanón gained stage experience as an assistant to directors such as Pierre Audi, Krzysztof Warlikowski, Laurent Pelly and Lotte de Beer, with whom she has also worked as a co-director. In the 2019/20 season, she was also a Directing Fellow of the Vocal Arts Department at the Juillard School New York.