MANFRED SCHWEIGKOFLER
is an internationally renowned director of musical theater, a seasoned artistic director in the event and festival sector, as well as a composer, author, trainer, and coach for numerous global companies.
Career and Achievements
Born in 1962, Schweigkofler served as the director of the Teatro Comunale di Bolzano from 2001 to 2012, a period during which the theater gained international recognition. His productions in dance, crossover, contemporary music, and German-language literary opera were widely acclaimed by both audiences and critics.
From 2002 to 2012, he was also the General Director and Artistic Director of the international dance festival Bolzano Danza. In Bolzano, he founded and directed the Accademia Neue Musik Bolzano, an ensemble specializing in contemporary music. In 2007, he co-created the international festival Wintermezzo alongside Maestro Gustav Kuhn.
Schweigkofler’s theatrical journey began from the ground up—he spent years as an actor, performing with institutions like VBB, Teatro Stabile, and the Haydn Orchestra, as well as on various cabaret stages. With over 30 years of directing experience, 44 years as a rock band singer, and a long history of event creation, he has made an indelible mark on the cultural scene. Notably, he was the mastermind behind and artistic director of the opening ceremony of the 2007 Biathlon World Championships in Anterselva/Antholz.
He played a pivotal role in shaping Bolzano’s cultural landscape, founding the local cabaret scene in 1989, running its first cabaret cellar, co-founding the Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen (1992) and the Carambolage Theater (1996), and establishing the Musical School (1996), which he led until 1999. He also launched the Seespiele Kaltern productions and created major public events such as Spectaculum (a medieval festival for the city of Bolzano), Glurens Gaudenz (for Glurns), and the South Tyrolean Speck Festival, among many others.
In 2024, Schweigkofler assumed the role of Artistic Director for the StilZ Festival in Stelvio/Stilfs, a position he will hold until 2026. Since August 2024, he has also been the Artistic Director of the Schlossfestspiele Tirol, where he will make his directorial debut in 2025.
Theatrical and Opera Productions
Since 2004, Schweigkofler has increasingly focused on his original productions. His Rockquiem—a danced rock interpretation of Mozart’s Requiem—was staged in Norway, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Other notable productions include Offenbach’s Le Fee du Rhin at the National Theatre in Ljubljana, and Steel, a dynamic dance show exploring the theme of steel, which captivated audiences in Italy, Hungary, Austria, Norway, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.
In 2007, he directed a dance production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in collaboration with Ismael Ivo, followed in 2009 by his first contemporary opera, Julie by Philippe Boesmans.
Starting in 2010, Schweigkofler took on the grand opera repertoire, beginning with Elektra by Richard Strauss under the baton of Gustav Kuhn, which received standing ovations in Ferrara, Piacenza, Modena, and Bolzano. His unique 2011 production of Fidelio in Bolzano
and Ravenna drew comparisons to the works of Strehler, Brecht, and Pina Bausch. His modernized Romeo & Juliet (2011) set in the fashion world played to full houses in Philadelphia and later toured Italy.
Further successes followed with Salome (2012), Zemlinsky’s Der König Kandaules (Italian premiere, Teatro Massimo in Palermo), and his first Gothic Verdi production, Don Carlo, for the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki(2012). In 2013, he staged Rusalka at Teatro San Carlo in Naples, marking the opera’s debut in the city. Other highlights include La Traviata (2014) in Cottbus, I Gioielli della Madonna (2015) at the Slowak National Opera in Bratislava, Der König Kandaules (2016) in Seville, and Otello (2016) in Ljubljana with José Cura.
More recent projects include Carmina Burana with video mapping (2017), Ksenia (2017), Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci (2020, Ljubljana), La Voix Humaine (2021, Berlin), and Stewart Copeland’s world premiere The Witches Seed (2022). In 2025, he will restage Salome in Naples and direct his first Puccini opera, Manon Lescaut, in Ljubljana, which will later be performed at the Opera Avignon in 2027.
Collaborations and Additional Work
Schweigkofler has collaborated with distinguished conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Gustav Kuhn, Asher Fisch, Yves Abel, John Fiore, Giorgio Battistelli, and Jacques Lacombe. He has also worked with renowned artists like Ricarda Merbeth, José Cura, Andreas Schager, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Sir Jonathan Moore, and Irene Grandi.
Beyond opera, he occasionally directs dance productions, large-scale events, and architectural lighting outdoor video shows under the name Illuminata. He has also lent his voice to narrations, including Peter and the Wolf with Sir Neville Marriner and Coemedia Mundi with Giorgio Battistelli.
Still actively performing with his rock band Mad Puppet, Schweigkofler celebrated his 44th stage anniversary in 2024, having released seven albums of original music.
His work spans 20 countries and includes directing at eight national opera houses. In addition to his artistic career, he has held key roles in international exhibitions, serving as Commissioner General for South Tyrol at Expo 2000 (Hannover) and Expo 2015 (Milan). In 2018, he produced films in New York with Reinhold Messner, and in 2019, he curated the LUMEN Museum for Mountain Photography, designing exhibitions such as Reflexions.
Through his company Schweigkofler Communications, he produces branding and marketing films, consults on campaigns, and has created numerous successful brands. As a sought-after keynote speaker, he gives workshops and seminars on innovation, leadership, creativity, and company culture. His book Inspire! (2022) has been widely praised for its insights on inspiration and motivation.
He is a member of the Club of Budapest, Germany think tank, WeQ Ambassador for Italy, and National Leader of the international training network xpand.
