Lydia Steier: The youngest director of the Ruhrtriennale enthusiastic!

Lydia Steier: The youngest director of the Ruhrtriennale enthusiastic!

The cultural world in North Rhine-Westphalia is faced with an exciting change: Lydia Steier will take over the directorate of the renowned Ruhrtriennale from the 2027 season. On July 8, 2025, Minister of Culture Ina Brandes presented the young director in Bochum. Steier, who is considered one of the most sought-after directors of her generation, follows Ivo van Hove and will hold the artistic direction of the music and theater festival for the next three seasons until 2029. The convocation of Lydia Steier, who is celebrated as a "rock star among opera directors", was unanimously decided by the supervisory board of Kultur Ruhr GmbH. She will take up her office on November 1, 2026 after Van Hove presented his second season.

The American native is known for her innovative approaches in the music theater. In recent years she has worked on respected theaters worldwide, including in Cologne, where she has always convinced with strong productions and commitment to new music. "The Ruhrtriennale is a love letter to art," says Steier, who wants to value encounters and participation in its future programs. Garrelt Duin from the Ruhr regional directorate praised Steier's efforts to promote the connection to the region, while Dr. Vera Battis-Reese, Managing Director of Kultur Ruhr GmbH, recognized her international experience.

A look at the Ruhrtriennale

The Ruhrtriennale counts as the largest cultural festival in North Rhine-Westphalia and moves tens of thousands of art lovers to the region every year in late summer. The event transforms the impressive industrial architecture of the Ruhr area into impressive venues for music theater, acting and more. Last year, the Ruhrtriennale can look forward to around 70,000 visitors who were enthusiastic about the variety of the program. In the coming year, the festival will come up with 35 productions from August 21 to September 21, 2025, including 13 own and co-productions as well as five premieres and around 630 artists from over 38 countries.

While the preparations for the next few years are in full swing, the season began in August 2025 under the direction of Ivo van Hove. Here the audience can look forward to an exciting program as in the previous year, which is shaped by the power of the representative arts.

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