Birgit Kajtna-Wönig

Source: birgitkajtna.com

Birgit Kajtna-Wönig was born in Graz and studied music theater directing at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Since 2018, she has been working as an assistant director at the Hamburg State Opera. Previously, she was engaged for eleven seasons at the Vienna State Opera, where she oversaw more than 30 productions. Internationally, she has worked at renowned venues and festivals, including the Salzburg and Bregenz Festivals, Bard SummerScape Festival in New York, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, La Scala in Milan, Schwetzingen SWR Festival, Wuppertal Bühnen, Staatstheater Mainz, Staatstheater Stuttgart, Graz Opera House and the Burgtheater in Vienna.

Under her direction, numerous projects have been realized, including Schneewittchen (Snow White) for the Hamburg State Opera and Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella at the Vienna State Opera, which is also available on DVD. Birgit Kajtna-Wönig shares a close collaboration with conductor Adam Fischer. Together, they developed a new semi-staged format for Haydn’s Orfeo ed Euridice for the Tonhalle Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. This production toured with the Danish Chamber Orchestra, with performances in Copenhagen, at the Theater an der Wien, and at the Musikverein Graz. At the Salzburg Festival 2023, they brought Mozart’s Il re pastore to the stage in a semi-staged version at the Mozarteum. In February 2025, they will present a new staged format of Mitridate, re di Ponto at the Hamburg State Opera.

Birgit Kajtna-Wönig repeatedly explores innovative formats beyond the traditional opera repertoire. This has resulted in projects such as the art song project Die Liebe liebt das Wandern – eine Smartphone Dichtung (Love Loves to Wander – A Smartphone Poem) for the Vienna State Opera and the staged song recital Das Laub fällt auch im Paradies (The Leaves Fall Even in Paradise), featuring songs by Schumann and Schönberg, at the Hamburg State Opera.

Together with Hamburg-based artist KUOKO and in collaboration with the Hamburg Dehmelhaus Foundation, Birgit Kajtna-Wönig produced and directed the music video Ida’s Song, dedicated to Ida Dehmel. The video premiered in October 2022 at Hamburg’s Thalia Theater/Nachtasyl. It received multiple accolades, including an award at the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin 2023, the Best Music Video prize at the Portugal Independent Film Festival 2023, and an Honorable Mention at the Vienna International Film Awards 2023.

Additionally, Birgit Kajtna-Wönig initiated the project Zuhause bei Ida Dehmel (At Home with Ida Dehmel), featuring actors Barbara Nüsse and Günter Schaupp. She was responsible for the project’s development, production, and staging in cooperation with the Dehmelhaus as part of the inaugural Jewish Culture Days in Hamburg.