MusikTheater an der Wien

Music theater and opera from the early Baroque to the present day – of the highest quality and with a contemporary aesthetic – are the specialty of the MusikTheater an der Wien. As the only opera house in the German-speaking world to operate a stagione system, there are regular premieres, plus concert operas, concerts and new formats.

Vienna is a city of opera and boasts three major opera stages: the MusikTheater an der Wien is just as popular with Viennese audiences as the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Volksoper.

The MusikTheater an der Wien focuses on works with a particular connection to Vienna and the MusikTheater an der Wien, contemporary music theater and baroque compositions.

October 13, 2025: Awarded “Best Opera House” at the 12th International Opera Awards

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MusikTheater an der Wien, view of the stage behind a caryatid (column in the shape of a human figure) — © Peter M. Mayr

Theater an der Wien auditorium — © Peter M. Mayr

Opera House MusikTheater an der Wien, view from the street — Theater an der Wien, entrance – © Peter M. Mayr

MusikTheater an der Wien at a performance, with audience and musicians on stage — © Peter M. Mayr

Theater an der Wien, entrance – © Peter M. Mayr

Spectacular music theater in 2025/26

In the 25/26 season, the MusikTheater an der Wien will once again be the only stagione theater in the German-speaking world to offer a program spanning 400 years of music theater. The theater’s artistic director is Stefan Herheim, one of the most sought-after opera directors of our time. Here are some of the twelve new staged productions that will be performed this season:

The Spanish zarzuela Benamor by Pablo Luna, featuring actress Rossy de Palma, star of Pedro Almodóvar’s films.
The operatic adaptation of Alice in Wonderland by Unsuk Chin, a student of György Ligeti.
Florian Leopold Gassmann’s L‘opera seria – the epitome of an opera satire.
In Leonardo Vinci’s Alessandro nell’Indie, five countertenors and a world-class tenor share the stage: Dennis Orellana, Bruno de Sá, Jake Arditti, Maayan Licht, Nicholas Tamagna, and Stefan Sbonnik.
Giuseppe Verdi’s rarely performed opera Stiffelio

There is also a packed supporting program with concertante music theater, concerts, workshops and the cultural education program TaWumm!

Johann Strauss 2025: Die Fledermaus at its original premiere venue

Johann Strauss II had close ties with the MusikTheater an der Wien: 13 of his 15 operettas were first performed here. The celebrations for the anniversary year 2025 (the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss) have begun at the MusikTheater an der Wien with the operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin, which premiered here in 1880.

In the fall, Stefan Herheim will stage what is probably the most popular of all Strauss operettas, Die Fledermaus, at the venue where it was premiered to mark the 200th anniversary of the Waltz King’s birth (October 4-24, 2025). The conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra is Petr Popelka, who will lead an exquisite ensemble of singers including Thomas Blondelle, Hulkar Sabirova, Alina Wunderlin, Leon Košavić and actor Alexander Strobele.

Johann Strauss 2025

The MusikTheater an der Wien will continue its collaborations with the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Tip: Kammeroper

The second performance venue of the Theater an der Wien is the Kammeroper – an ideal setting for smaller works that blend music and theater. Highly talented next-generation artists appear on stage here alongside established actors. The audience and performers get especially close to one another in the little opera house in the heart of the city.