Award ceremony on 23 February 2026
Berlin – The Theatre Regensburg will receive the OPER! AWARD 2026 for „Best Opera House“ of 2025, the jury of the OPER! AWARDS announced in Berlin today. The award will be presented on 23 February 2026 during a gala at the Theatre Regensburg. The winners of the other 19 categories of the OPER! AWARDS will be named and honoured in person at the same event.
The OPER! AWARDS are Germany’s only publicly awarded international opera prize. They are presented annually at a gala event to the world’s best artists and creatives of the international opera scene, working on or behind the stage, chosen across 20 categories by a jury of music journalists. Assessment period is the calendar year 2025. Last year’s winner of „Best Opera House“ was La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels.
“More of the new, less of the familiar, embracing openness instead of programmatic caution, and an unshakable belief in the right of musical theatre to exist in all its forms, colours, and varieties: under its artistic director Sebastian Ritschel, the Theatre Regensburg shows great readiness to take risks, but its rate of success is high. Audiences, trust, and approval follow quality – regionally and, for quite some time now, nationwide as well. The call for a broader repertoire is often heard, yet rarely fulfilled – not so in Regensburg, where it is common practice! And always inspiring, too, thanks to an outstanding ensemble. Innovations with regard to participation, accessibility, community building, and sustainability demonstrate further how a theatre must indispensably anchor itself within civic society. No question: the best opera house is found under the roof of the Theatre – soon: State Theatre – Regensburg!”, according to Ulrich Ruhnke, Jury Chairman of the OPER! AWARDS. “We are delighted to be honouring the Theatre Regensburg with the OPER! AWARD for ‘Best Opera House’ under its own roof on 23 February 2026.”
Ulrich Ruhnke
Chairman of the OPER! AWARDS Jury