Salzburg Festival president highlights century-long event's strengths

The Salzburg Festival is more than a festival celebrating Mozart, although the connection between Mozart and the festival held in the city of the composer's birth continues to be strong.

“I believe that Mozart plays a crucial role in the festival, but what truly sets the Salzburg Festival apart is its dedication to showcasing a diverse array of programs,” Kristina Hammer, the president of Salzburg Festival, told reporters in Seoul on Wednesday.

Hammer, president of the festival since January 2022, made the remark during a press conference introducing the festival and its plans.

The Austrian city of Salzburg, with a population of just 150,000, has been home to the six-week festival for more than 100 years. Founded in 1920, the festival showcases opera, drama and concerts each year at 15 venues.

In the first nine months of this year, the small city welcomed about 40,000 Korean visitors.

“The commitment to introducing new works and emerging artists to the stage is one of the festival's greatest strengths,” she said.

“The festival creates stars, not just inviting stars to the festival,” she added.

One such example is Yoon Han-gyeol, a 30-year-old South Korean conductor and composer.

In 2023, Yoon won the prestigious Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award, marking a significant milestone as the first Korean to win the award.

Yoon made his professional conducting debut at this year's Salzburg Festival, leading the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna in August. This opportunity is one of the key benefits awarded to the competition's winner.

Another example is the Young Singers Project, where a panel of experts selects 15 participants from 600 applicants, all screened from thousands of applications.

“These selected singers are invited to Salzburg, where they receive intensive training, including masterclasses and diction coaching. They have the opportunity to take on significant roles in smaller operas and smaller roles in major productions. The program culminates in a performance at the Mozarteum theater in Salzburg at the end of the festival​,” she said.

Hammer’s visit to Korea coincided with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s Korean tour this week. The orchestra has a long-standing and significant relationship with the Salzburg Festival.

“The only place you can listen to the Vienna Philharmonic performing for operas, other than Vienna, is at the Salzburg Festival," Hammer said.

Hammer did not disclose the details of next year’s program, which will be unveiled in December, other than mentioning that it will include about 200 performances, including ones featuring the Vienna Philharmonic, alongside a variety of other productions and concerts.

When asked whether the festival would feature Russian musicians in light of Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, Hammer explained the festival does not invite so-called “state artists” and people who present themselves as a representative of the country are not allowed at the festival.

However, she said indiscriminate discrimination against all Russian artists or works is also another type of attack.

This year, about 250,000 people from 77 countries, including 40 non-European countries, visited the city during the festival from July 19 to Aug. 31.