Biography

Christof Loy

Current as of May 2023

Christof Loy was born in Essen, Germany, and studied music theatre directing at the Folkwang University of the Arts there. Following further study in Munich and assistantships with Luc Bondy and Dietrich Hilsdorf among others, he made his directorial debut with the musical Faust collage gretchen. eine mädchentragödie, which he had devised himself. Engagements at various theatres followed, first in Germany, and soon after internationally. His first production in Austria was Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, in Klagenfurt in 1996.

Christof Loy has worked at many international opera houses and leading festivals. He currently has especially strong associations with the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Theater Basel and the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. In Amsterdam in 2019 he made his choreographic debut in his production of Tannhäuser; he has gone on to choreograph his productions of Humperdinck’s Königskinder in Amsterdam and Bartók’s ballet The Miraculous Mandarin in Basel.

In addition to his work in opera, Christof Loy also enjoys directing freer projects which focus on staged interpretations of art song, such as the Tchaikovsky evening Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt at the Frankfurt Opera, and, recently, Eine Winterreise with Anne Sofie von Otter at Theater Basel.

In 2021 he further widened his artistic range through his first feature film Springtime in Amsterdam, for which he directed, wrote the screenplay and selected the music.

One of his most important future engagements is Der Ring des Nibelungen, which he will direct at the Norwegian Opera in Oslo; he is also planning various new productions in the field of zarzuela, a genre close to his heart that he is keen to bring to greater international attention. Other plans include his debuts at La Scala, Milan, in 2024, and at the Paris Opéra in 2025.

Christof Loy made his directing debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2007; his most recent productions here include Così fan tutte (2020) and Il trittico (2022).

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Photos and Videos

Christof Loy Director Direction
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Christof Loy Director Direction
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