Berlin Opera Award

Founded in 1997, the BERLIN OPERA AWARD has established itself as a major young talent award in the field of music theatre within Berlin’s cultural landscape and beyond. It supports and honors world premieres that open up new paths for music theatre — exploring the boundaries of the genre while remaining sensual, emotional, and direct. For years, the Neuköllner Oper and GASAG have shared an interest in new, innovative, and at the same time accessible compositions specifically for the music theatre stage. With the Berlin Opera Award, they create a platform where young composers can experiment, for example between pop and avant-garde, and in particular expand their expertise in composing for the stage, dramatic action, and the human voice. The Berlin Opera Award brings selected works to the stage in front of an expert audience and a professional music theatre network.

The BERLIN OPERA AWARD 2027 is organized by the Neuköllner Oper and GASAG Berlin in cooperation with the University of Music and Theatre Munich and the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin. More than 50 applicants from Germany and abroad participated in the current call for submissions.

Based on concepts inspired by Brecht’s Baal, a jury consisting of Dorothea Hartmann (Artistic Director of the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden), Brigitta Muntendorf (composer and Artistic Director of the Kunstfestspiele Herrenhausen 2026), as well as representatives of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin, the University of Music and Theatre Munich, and the Neuköllner Oper, selected the following three finalists:

ADRIAN LAUGSCH: BAAL BAAL BAAL (working title)

Adrian Laugsch writes music for concert, stage, and film. His work is characterized by an interest in expanding sound both conceptually and formally through theatrical, interdisciplinary, and multimedia strategies, as well as by the search for new forms of expression between post-digital artificiality and queer opulence. Adrian’s music has been performed by renowned interpreters (MDR Symphony Orchestra, JACK Quartet, Ensemble Musikfabrik, among others) and has received numerous awards (including a scholarship from the Wilfried Steinbrenner Foundation, 1st Prize at the Osnabrück Composition Competition, and 2nd Prize at the International Gustav Mahler Competition in Klagenfurt).

MINAMI NAGAI: Short Opera after Baal

Minami Nagai is a Japanese composer from Osaka. After studying composition at Tokyo University of the Arts, she moved to Germany in 2022 and is currently completing her master’s degree in composition with Moritz Eggert at the University of Music and Theatre Munich. Her works include opera, orchestral, chamber, and vocal music; in 2026 she was Artist-in-Residence at Plein Theater in Amsterdam.

Yasuhiro Ito, after studying at the University of Tokyo, is currently enrolled as a doctoral candidate at the University of Strasbourg, specializing in French literature and comparative literature. He has worked as a dramaturge for the Japanese young opera company Novanta Quattro, including on the world premiere of the new opera The Ship Eventually Fell Asleep by Minami Nagai.

ALINE SARAH MÜLLER: IN THE DATA RUSH – after Baal (working title)

Aline Sarah Müller (2001) is a composer and violinist. She is currently completing her master’s degree in composition at the Cologne University of Music and Dance with Brigitta Muntendorf and Oxana Omelchuk. Her music has already been presented at festivals such as Acht Brücken – Music for Cologne, the LIMINA Festival Salzburg, and the Darmstadt Summer Course. She has collaborated with artists and ensembles such as Ensemble Proton, Ensemble Musikfabrik, the Asasello Quartet, and HyperDuo. Aline is the managing director of the Swiss Music Edition (SME) and in 2025 was awarded the Bernd Alois Zimmermann Scholarship of the City of Cologne.

Taking part already means winning: the three composers are intensively supported during the development of their compositions by the mentors Moritz Eggert (composition) and Bernhard Glocksin (libretto) through workshops and coaching sessions. Together with directing teams, singers, and musicians from the Hanns Eisler School of Music, the three newly composed short operas will be staged in April 2027. The selected projects will receive tiered prize money sponsored by GASAG Berlin.

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