Stage direction

Balázs Kovalik

Balázs Kovalik was born in Budapest and studied directing at the August Everding Bavarian Theatre Academy in Munich, where he has been head of the Masters' course in musical theatre/opera singing since 2012, after teaching at the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest from 1997 to 2009.

His directing career took him to such theatres as the National Theatre in Szeged, the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, the Mecklenburg State Theatre in Schwerin, the Bergen Opera House, the Budapest Spring Festival, Bonn Opera and the Hanover State Opera, where he directed performances such as »Turandot«, »Eugen Onegin«, »Katja Kabanowa«, »Le grand macabre«, »Don Giovanni«, »Così fan tutte«, »Le nozze di Figaro«, »Die Liebe zu den drei Orangen« and »The Turn of the Screw«.

He made his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper with the first performance of Péter Eötvös's »Die Tragödie des Teufels«.

His most recent works include »Die verkaufte Braut« at the Berlin State Opera, »Die Teufel von Ludon« at the Hanover State Opera, »Le nozze di Figaro« at the Braunschweig State Theatre, »Il trovatore« at the Nuremberg State Theatre, »Aida« in Zagreb, »Agrippina« in Giessen, »Solaris« in the Reaktorhalle in Munich, Mariotte's »Salomé« at the Prinzregententheater and »Die Frau ohne Schatten« at Leipzig Opera.

From 2007 to 2010, Balázs Kovalik was also the Artistic Director of the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest where he attracted attention with productions such as »Elektra«, »Fidelio« and »Xerxes«. Invitations as a visiting lecturer took him to such cities as Cairo, Leipzig, Munich and Berlin.

Balázs Kovalik is the winner of countless awards, such as the title of Merited Artist of the Republic of Hungary, the Theatre Critics' Special Prize (2002 and 2006) and the Hevesi Prize (2007).