Supervisory Board of the Hamburg State Opera and Demis Volpi Reach Amicable Agreement on Termination of Contract
June 10, 2025
Today, the Supervisory Board of the Hamburg State Opera approved the early termination of the contract with Artistic Director of the Hamburg Ballet Demis Volpi. Over the past few days, both parties reached an amicable agreement to terminate the contract at the end of the current season and to release Volpi from his duties with immediate effect. A joint interim leadership of the ballet company, as a division of the Hamburg State Opera, is being pursued.
Demis Volpi:
"My vision — both in artistic terms and with regard to a contemporary structure that fosters open and responsible collaboration within a ballet company — could no longer be realized under the current conditions at the Hamburg Ballet despite intensive efforts. In the best interest of all parties involved, we have therefore agreed to an amicable conclusion of my tenure as Artistic Director."
Supervisory Board of the Hamburg State Opera:
"We regret that it was not possible to establish a common foundation for continued collaboration at the Hamburg Ballet. We have therefore agreed with Demis Volpi to terminate the contract at the end of the current season and to release him from his contractual obligations as Artistic Director effective today (June 10, 2025). The Chairman of the Supervisory Board thanks Demis Volpi for his artistic contributions and his dedicated efforts to further develop the company's artistic profile. We wish him all the best in his future career."
In today's special session, the Supervisory Board of the Hamburg State Opera resolved to pursue a joint interim leadership of Hamburg Ballet as a division of the Hamburg State Opera through the end of the 2025/2026 season. Discussions are currently underway with Deputy Ballet Artistic Director Lloyd Riggins, Ballet Managing Director Nicolas Hartmann, and Deputy Director of the Ballet School Gigi Hyatt. Negotiations are also ongoing with Ballet Managing Director Nicolas Hartmann regarding the interim assumption of the position Volpi held in the Executive Board of the Hamburg State Opera.
The Supervisory Board has requested the Chairman and his deputy to initiate, in coordination with the workers council, an externally facilitated process with the company to develop guidelines for future collaboration within the company and to define the company's expectations for future leadership of the company. These findings will be taken into account for the subsequent search process.
Dr. Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Hamburg State Opera:
"I regret that it was not possible to establish a common foundation for continued collaboration at the Hamburg Ballet. We will now initially distribute leadership responsibility across several individuals. The interim leadership will continue to develop Hamburg Ballet in line with existing plans, balancing tradition and modernity. At the same time, we will carefully lay the groundwork for a long-term successor."
Media Inquiries
Ministry of Culture and Media
Enno Isermann | Press Spokesperson
Phone: 040 42824 207
Email: enno.isermann@bkm.hamburg.de
Internet: www.hamburg.de/bkm
Instagram: @bkm_hh
LinkedIn: Ministry of Culture and Media
