Everything will be different, yet much will remain the same. For the first time, we have invited a visual artist to curate our opening festival and – together with artist friends based in Berlin –bring the public together for 30 hours inside the opera house. All of Deutsche Oper will become a space for artistic interventions where visual art, music, performance, and the audience interact.

Throughout the building and the surrounding neighborhood, you will encounter works by new and familiar faces: Ari Benjamin Meyers has developed a series of intimate performances in collaboration with artists from our company. Tomás Saraceno introduces a game and a series of 100 special tickets of his own design, each with a sketch by him and also a key to see a performance in the upcoming 26/27 season. Sissel Tolaas «hacks» the air inside the house, with two special molecules that are perceptible throughout the building during the weekend. Haegue Yang, Angela Bulloch and Anri Sala open up new perspectives on architecture, light, and music, while Dalad Kambhu collaborates with the Restaurant Deutsche Oper with a special Thai-German menu.

The audience also becomes part of the fun: on Saturday, you can wear archival costumes from the Deutsche Oper’s collection, chosen by the artists Petrit Halilaj and Álvaro Urbano and join a large-scale parade with the chorus and orchestra through the streets of Charlottenburg. Afterward, the artists transform the worn costumes into a sculptural display overtaking the Garderobe.

Additionally, works by Lou Cantor, Józefina Chętko and Tobias Rehberger, are waiting to be discovered throughout the house, along with a sound installation by Sung Tieu and poetry readings by Karl Holmqvist and Fiston Mwanza Mujila. The iconic Grillwalkers from Alexanderplatz are also part of the show, as well as other interventions that transform the opera house into an exhibition space, a stage, and a site of shared experience over the 30-hour weekend. Rirkrit Tiravanija’s work can also be seen: from his text on the opera’s Götz-Friedrich-Platz and T-shirts to sculpture and communal cooking.

And what remains the same? Face painting for children in the Mausoleum, public children‘s chorus concerts, chorus and ballet rehearsals open to both spectators and participants, an evening jazz concert on Götz-Friedrich-Platz, and two major opening concerts offering a preview of the 26/27 season.

EVERYTHING IS A REHEARSAL

During the last weekend of August, Rirkrit Tiravanija swings open wide the doors of Deutsche Oper Berlin together with 20 Berlin-based artists. A series of site-specific, performative interventions will unfold across the opera house. In doing so, the artists put forth a proposition: UNLESS THE PEOPLE LIVE HERE.

As Richard Wagner famously put it, a Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) brings together all the elements that make up an opera as we know it: from the singers to the orchestra, the costumes to the set pieces, and the design of the opera house itself. Flipping this idea on its head, Tiravanija asks artists to look beyond the stage––into the orchestra pit, the kitchen, the air conditioning, and everywhere in between. The artists uncover what lies behind the making of a «total work of art,» transforming every possible resource to create new ways of connecting with each other.

Over the course of 30 hours, you are invited to discover Deutsche Oper Berlin like never before. Together, we open the House to time and to THE PEOPLE. In spending a weekend in and around Deutsche Oper Berlin, we use the tools of opera to rehearse what it means to be together. – Rirkrit Tiravanija

Curated by Rirkrit Tiravanija with Landon Wilson
Produced by Raul Llamas Kirchhoff and Landon Wilson
Assisted by Triin Metsla and Ferdinand Waas

featuring Angela Bulloch, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Lou Cantor, Józefina Chętko, Flower Shop Pho, Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano, Karl Holmqvist, Dalad Kambhu, Fiston Mwanza Mujila, OMSK Social Club, Tobias Rehberger, Anri Sala, Tomás Saraceno, Sung Tieu, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Sissel Tolaas, Danh Vō, Haegue Yang, and Grillwalker Alexanderplatz

with the Staatsballett Berlin and the Kostümfundus, Restaurant, Technicians, Ushers, Orchestra, and Choruses of Deutsche Oper Berlin

The curatorial team extends special thanks to the galleries ChertLüdde, Berlin; Esther Schipper, Berlin; Galerie Neu, Berlin; neugerriemschneider, Berlin; Barbara Wien, Berlin, and Kukje Gallery, Seoul

Here you’ll find events for you and your families

Saturday 29.8.26 / 12.00 – 4.00

12.00
Opening Ceremony
with the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija and our new Artistic Director, Aviel Cahn
Location: Götz-Friedrich-Platz

12.30
Symbolic Opening of the House
Location: Götz-Friedrich-Platz

Costume Parade
Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano feat. the Orchestra, Chorus, and YOU
If you would like to be part of our costume parade, you can join the procession through Charlottenburg in costume alongside orchestra musicians, chorus singers, and visual artists Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano.

From 12.30 Costume Transformation
Over 350 costumes are available. You can borrow a costume by providing your contact details. Please bring a valid photo ID for verification.
Location: Garderobenhalle (Coat Check)

14.00 – 15.30 Parade
The grand costume parade makes its way through the streets of Charlottenburg, culminating spectacularly in a concert by our chorus in the foyer.
Start: Haupteingang
Finale: Parkettfoyer

From approx. 15.30 Sculptural Costume Display
by Petrit Halilaj & Álvaro Urbano
Location: Garderobenhalle (Coat Check)

12.30 / 13.00 / 13.30 / 14.00 / 14.30 / 15.00 / 15.30 / 16.00 / 16.30 / 17.00
Family Tours through – The Costume Department
Get a glimpse inside the costume department‘s on-site workshop. / Duration: approx. 30 minutes (including walking time). / Maximum of 20 people per tour / no tickets required
Meeting Point: Garderobenhalle (Right)

13.00 – 16.00
Open Stage
A unique opportunity to explore the Main Stage.
Location: Main Stage

13.00 – 17.00
Children’s Face Painting
Whether a kitten, a butterfly, or a joker, our makeup artists paint the faces of our youngest guests.
Location: 1. Rang Foyer (Right)

13.00 – 17.00
Painting the JDO Flag
Calling everyone – young and old: Come and help design a flag featuring the new logo of the Junge Deutsche Oper! On Sunday at 18.00, this flag will be ceremonially hoisted at Götz-Friedrich-Platz and will fly outside our opera house on various days throughout the year.
Location: 1. Rang Foyer (Right)

13.00 – 16.30
Opera Parcours Junge Deutsche Oper
Up for grabs are the final spots in the «Opernmaus» program for children aged 6–10, as well as free tickets for Hamed & Sherifa (ages 7+). The prize draws will take place at 16.30.
Location: 1. Rang Foyer (Right)

13.00 – 20.00
Musical Interventions
Our orchestra musicians, ensemble singers, and repetiteurs will be performing chamber concerts in various formations throughout the day. There is no set stage; the concerts take place right among the audience. Prepare to be surprised!
Location: Foyers

13.15 / 14.15 / 15.15
Participatory events by Tanz ist KLASSE!
Just drop by and start dancing! No prior experience or restrictions needed – Tanz ist KLASSE! invites everyone to join in a casual, open-air dance session. / Duration: 30 minutes each
Location: Götz-Friedrich-Platz

14.00 – 14.30
Bridges of Sound
Choral music from around the world. The Youth Chorus performs works by Brahms, Trotta, Dowland, and Chilcott, conducted by Christian Lindhorst.
Location: Tischlerei

15.00 / 16.00
Preview: Weltparlament
On September 19, 2026, we kick off the 2026/27 season of premieres with a bang: Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht receives its German Premiere. Experience initial musical impressions as the Deutsche Oper Berlin Chorus presents Weltparlament, the first part of Mittwoch aus Licht. / Moderation: Jeremy Bines / Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Tischlerei

17.00 – 18.00
Concert
In a major concert on the main stage, the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra performs excerpts from works featured in our 2026/27 season program – such as The Flying Dutchman and the War Requiem. The program also includes a piece by our Composer-in-Residence, the Icelandic composer Bára Gísladóttir and a performance devised by the artist Anri Sala. Featuring soloists from the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble. / Conductors: Anna Handler and Giovanni Conti / Moderation: Aviel Cahn
Free tickets available via the webshop and at the box office.
Location: Main Stage

17.00 – 18.00
How-to: Pointe Shoe
Dancers from the Staatsballett Berlin offer insights into the daily work involved with their pointe shoes, demonstrate how they prepare them for dancing, and share a few tricks of the trade along the way. The event will be held in German. English segments will be summarized in German. / Featuring dancers from the Staatsballett Berlin / Moderation: Katja Wiegand
Location: Tischlerei

18.30 – 19.30
Oral histories
Who knows daily life with the artists – the ups and downs, the minor and major catastrophes at the Deutsche Oper Berlin – better than the people who have been the soul of this house for many years, or even decades? Ruth Ferrano, Christoph Seuferle, Curt A. Roesler, and Nina Birsan share their stories. / Moderation: Konstantin Parnian
Location: Tischlerei

20.00 – 22.00
BigBand in Concert
Jazz to End the Day
Members of the Deutsche Oper Berlin Big Band transform Götz-Friedrich-Platz into an open-air stage, performing various sets that offer a preview of their Jazz & Lyrics series.
Ort: Götz-Friedrich-Platz

22.00 – 04.00
Late Night: operative image
Feat. OMSK Social Club with international DJs from the Berlin electronic music scene
22.00 – 23.30 Uhr: Alif Hilal (fka Lyra Pramuk)
23.30 – 01.00 Uhr: Why Be
01.00 – 02.30 Uhr: Jan Vorisek
02.30 – 04.00 Uhr: mi-el
Tickets € 35,00 online and at the door, subject to availability
Location: Main Stage / Entrance via the Stage Door at Richard-Wagner-Straße 10

Sunday 30.8.26 / 12.00 – 18.00

12.30 – 13.30 / Staatsballett Berlin
Open Rehearsal of The Nutcracker
with Artistic Director and Choreographer Christian Spuck
Dancers: Michelle Willems, David Soares
Location: Main Stage

12.30 / 13.00 / 13.30 / 14.00 / 14.30 / 15.00 / 15.30 / 16.00 / 16.30 / 17.00
Family Tours – Set Storage
Experience a brief tour of the building, covering the side and rear stage areas, as well as the scenery storage. / Duration: approx. 30 minutes (including walking time) / Maximum of 20 people per tour / no tickets required
Meeting Point: Garderobenhalle (Right)

13.00 – 17.00
Children’s Face Painting
Whether a kitten, a butterfly, or a joker, our makeup artists paint the faces of our youngest guests.
Location: 1. Rang Foyer (Right)

13.00 — 17.00
Painting the JDO Flag
Calling everyone – young and old: Come and help design a flag featuring the new logo of the Junge Deutsche Oper! On Sunday at 18.00, this flag will be ceremonially hoisted at Götz-Friedrich-Platz and will fly outside our opera house on various days throughout the year.
Location: 1. Rang Foyer (Right)

13.00 – 16.30
Opera Parcours Junge Deutsche Oper
Up for grabs are the final spots in the «Opernmaus» program for children aged 6–10, as well as free tickets for Hamed & Sherifa (ages 7+). The prize draws will take place at 16.30.
Location: 1. Rang Foyer (Right)

13.00 – 17.00
Musical Interventions
Our orchestra musicians, ensemble singers, and repetiteurs will be performing chamber concerts in various formations throughout the day. There is no set stage; the concerts take place right among the audience. Prepare to be surprised!
Location: Foyers

13.00 – 14.00
Meet our Poet in Residence – Fiston Mwanza Mujila
He reads from his favorite texts from the new production Sunville, for which he wrote the libretto and in which he will also perform.
Location: Tischlerei

14.00 – 14.30
Come to the Golden Beach!
The Children’s Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin joins the Youth Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin to perform works by Chilcott, Zalveris, and Holst, conducted by Christian Lindhorst.
Location: Tischlerei

14.00 / 15.15 / 16.30
Participatory events by Tanz ist KLASSE!
In the Staatsballett’s large ballet studio, Tanz ist KLASSE! invites children and their accompanying adults to try out their first dance steps and discover the art of ballet pantomime.
Note: Limited number of participants – tickets available at the Staatsballett information desk starting when the building opens. Meeting point for participants at the scheduled time: behind the Staatsballett information desk in the box office. / Duration: 60 minutes / Max. 50 people
Location: Ballet Studios / Meeting point for participants at the scheduled time: behind the Staatsballett information desk in the box office.

15.00 / 16.00
Preview: Weltparlament
On September 19, 2026, we kick off the 2026/27 season of premieres with a bang: Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht receives its German Premiere. Experience initial musical impressions as the Deutsche Oper Berlin Chorus presents Weltparlament, the first part of Mittwoch aus Licht. / Moderation: Jeremy Bines / Duration: 30 minutes
Location: Tischlerei

17.00 – 18.00
Concert
In a major concert on the main stage, the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra performs excerpts from works featured in our 2026/27 season program—such as The Flying Dutchman and the War Requiem. The program also includes a piece by our Composer-in-Residence, the Icelandic composer Bára Gísladóttir and a performance devised by the artist Anri Sala. Featuring soloists from the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble. / Conductors: Anna Handler and Giovanni Conti / Moderation: Aviel Cahn
Free tickets available via the webshop and at the box office.
Location: Main Stage

18.00
Ceremonial raising of Junge Deutsche Oper flag
Location: Götz-Friedrich-Platz