Matthias Piro

Stage Director

Vita

German stage director Matthias Piro has quickly established himself as a distinctive voice among a new generation of European opera directors. Combining a strong visual imagination with a dramaturgically rigorous approach, his work is characterised by emotionally compelling storytelling and close collaboration with performers.

The 2026/2027 season marks a series of significant house debuts. At the Hamburgische Staatsoper he directs Hans Werner Henze’s El Cimarrón, while further new productions include Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Massenet’s Don Quichotte at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. He also brings his production of Philip Glass‘ Les Enfants terribles to Staatstheater Darmstadt following its highly acclaimed premiere at the Opéra de Lille in spring 2026.

Since the 2025/2026 season, Matthias Piro has served as Advisor to the Artistic Director for Stage Productions at the Hamburgische Staatsoper. Alongside his own directing projects, he has been Co-Director of the world premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Monster’s Paradise and Iris ter Schiphorst’s Die Gänsemagd. He also continues his longstanding artistic collaboration with Tobias Kratzer as Co-Director of the new production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen at the Bayerische Staatsoper, with Das Rheingold and Die Walküre already premiered, followed by Siegfried in autumn 2026 and Götterdämmerung in summer 2027.

Recent directing credits include Philip Glass‘ Les Enfants terribles for the Opéra de Lille, Verdi’s Attila at the Opernfestspiele Heidenheim, Schubert’s Die Winterreise at Volkstheater Rostock and Il trionfo della fedeltà at Staatstheater Darmstadt.

Born in Saarbrücken, Matthias Piro studied Musiktheaterregie at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. Early in his career he collaborated with Lydia Steier on productions at Theater Basel, the Salzburger Festspiele and Luzerner Theater, and with Tobias Kratzer at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Hamburg, Theater Bremen and Theater Luzern. Further engagements as Assistant Director and Associate Director have taken him to leading European opera houses including Staatsoper Stuttgart, Theater an der Wien, La Monnaie in Brussels, Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar, Oper Graz and Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, where he developed a broad artistic foundation working on both standard repertoire and contemporary opera.

Alongside his work in the established repertoire, Matthias Piro has developed a particular affinity for contemporary opera and interdisciplinary music theatre. Since their collaborations within the creative teams of Tobias Kratzer, Verena Stoiber and Lydia Steier, he has maintained a close artistic partnership with set and costume designer Lisa Moro. Together, they explore new ways of presenting opera as a socially and politically relevant art form for contemporary audiences. Their productions combine literary sensitivity, musical precision and a distinctive visual aesthetic, reflecting an artistic voice that is rapidly gaining recognition on the European opera scene.

Last update: 22.08.2026
Matthias Piro on stage

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