Awards

The tradition of modernism at Oper Köln was once again rewarded: In November 2022, "Upload" by the Dutch composer Michel van der Aa received the Opera Award 2022 in the category "Digital Opera".

"Upload", a commission from Oper Köln and a co-production between the Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, Oper Köln, Bregenz Festival, Ensemble Musikfabrik Köln and the Park Avenue Armory New York and DoubleA Foundation Amsterdam Foundations, received its German premiere in the 2021.22 season, postponed from the 2019.20 season owing to corona. The work combines film, sound and live projections with two highly demanding vocal roles, taken by Julia Bullock (soprano) and Roderick Williams (baritone), with Otto Tausk conducting Ensemble Musikfabrik. The Opera Awards, which were presented this time in 16 categories at Teatro Madrid, are considered the "Oscars" of the opera world.

At the OPER! AWARDS of the trade journal OPER! in November 2020, the Chorus of Oper Köln was named "Best Chorus" in the German-speaking world.

On 30 November 2020, Oper Köln was honoured at the OPER! AWARDS. Oper Köln received the “Best Chorus" award. The jury justified its choice with the versatility and strong presence of the ensemble: "An opera house that is based in temporary accommodation demands flexibility and creativity from all employees, and at Oper Köln, the opera chorus in particular has distinguished itself in this extraordinary season in the constantly changing spatial and acoustic conditions of the alternative venue StaatenHaus with its consistently high musical level. To shine in Verdi's 'Il trovatore' merely from offstage is a special achievement, as is constantly moving across the stage in splintered groups in Brett Dean's 'Hamlet'. Oper Köln has shown versatility and strong presence."
The chorus of Oper Köln has been under the direction of Rustam Samedov since the 2018/19 season.

»Hamlet« von Brett Dean

»Peter Grimes« von Benjamin Britten

At the prize-giving gala of the "Opera! Awards" in Berlin on 21 September 2019, Oper Köln was awarded the prize for "Best Education Programme". The work of the Kinderoper Köln was honoured for its "extraordinary, highly admirable social commitment". Frederic Wake-Walker was awarded "Best Director" for his direction of "Peter Grimes" at Oper Köln and his production of "Ariadne auf Naxos" at Teatro alla Scala! In addition, the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg was awarded in the category "Best Rediscovery" for the production "Barkouf oder ein Hund an der Macht" – a co-production with Oper Köln.

Oper Köln receives the Cologne Culture Prize 2019 for “Die Soldaten”

At a festive awards ceremony at the Musem of Applied Arts Cologne in June 2019, Oper Köln’s production of Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera "Die Soldaten", which was acclaimed by audiences and the press alike, was honoured as Cultural Event of the Year 2018, together with the Africa Film Festival.
The Cologne Culture Prize recognises outstanding achievements and pioneering developments in culture in Cologne and has been awarded annually by the Kölner Kulturrat e.V. since 2010.

Commissioned by Oper Köln, the modernist masterpiece "Die Soldaten" was first performed in Cologne in 2018 since its groundbreaking premiere at the opera house on Offenbachplatz in 1965. The StaatenHaus proved to be the ideal space for the scenic and musical realisation by director Carlus Padrissa (La Fura dels Baus) and his team. General Music Director François-Xavier Roth and the Gürzenich Orchester have provided a brilliant musical realisation. Oper Köln's new production in the interim venue StaatenHaus in Cologne Deutz is thus the first to follow the composer Zimmermann's intentions with regard to the arrangement of stage, orchestra and audience.

"I am very happy to accept this prize on behalf of the staff of Oper Köln! I am extremely pleased that all of our commitment – especially now at our interim home – is being recognised with this important prize! One could call it a twist of fate that Oper Köln was temporarily lodged in the StaathenHaus owing to renovation work at the time of the 100th anniversary of the 100th birthday of Bernd Alois Zimmermann. Director Carlus Padrissa has created an impressive image there, especially for Zimmermann's idea of the "spherical shape of time", with the stage space that surrounds the audience and orchestra in a circle. Thus the Cologne performance is the first to follow the composer's specifications exactly. The 'soldiers' support the reputation of the city of Cologne as an important city of music into the world. I am proud that we are part of this with our performance!"
General Manager Dr Birgit Meyer

"The German Design Award honours innovative products and projects, their manufacturers and designers that are groundbreaking in the German and international design landscape." (* german-design-award.com)

For the third year in a row, Oper Köln won a design award for the design of its communication media in February 2018:
The website www.oper.koeln, which was designed by the digital agency MIR MEDIA on behalf of the opera, received the "German Design Award 2018" in the category "Excellent Communications Design Web". General Manager Dr Birgit Meyer is delighted about the award: "The special design of Oper Köln has a special appeal, both regionally and nationally, which remains in the memory. Our audience has already confirmed this effect many times. We are delighted with MIR MEDIA for winning this award."

The jury emphasised the special qualities of the website: "The successful mix of images and quotations from famous plays gives the site a striking character that makes you want to browse." According to the jury, the website is "the little highlight before the big spectacle, because the user becomes a spectator and already experiences the high quality of Oper Köln's events on the website."

After the digital agency MIR MEDIA had already won the Red Dot Award in 2016 for the "high design quality" of the website, the agency formdusche was awarded the German Design Award in 2017 for the corporate design of Oper Köln.

1st prize for Oper Köln

The integration of people with dementia and their relatives into the offerings of Oper Köln is a special concern of General Manager Dr Birgit Meyer. The awarding of the Rudi Assauer Prize to Oper Köln can now be seen as a great confirmation of these efforts.

Through the "Rudi Assauer Initiative Dementia and Society" on 
18th December 2017, the first prize of 4000€ was awarded to the project "Opera for Young and Old". Since the 2013.14 season, the project of the “Theater und Schule" department has enabled people with dementia and their relatives as well as children to visit Oper Köln. In addition to adapting the framework conditions of the opera visit according to cognitive and physical abilities, the project also supports intergenerational encounters between children and dementia patients.

The "Rudi Assauer Initiative Dementia and Society" awards the prize to innovative projects that aim to improve the quality of life of people suffering from dementia and their carers and to further remove the taboos surrounding the disease in public.

"We are very happy about the award and the accompanying recognition of a project that is very close to my heart and that of my staff. However, we see our work in this area, the inclusion of people with dementia, as only the beginning. Similar efforts should and must become a matter of course! The genre of opera is just one of many that should be used much more to impact society – in a playful and sensory way." 
General Manager Dr Birgit Meyer

Oper Köln has been recognised for its outstanding achievements by an international jury at the Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2016 award. With this award, Oper Köln received a winners label of the highest reputation and international standing, the quality of which is vouched for by Red Dot and the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen.

The digital agency MIR MEDIA received the Red Dot Award for its work: Communication Design 2016, the world-renowned competition for communication design, the coveted Red Dot. In sessions lasting several days, the 26 experts of the Red Dot jury evaluated each of the numerous submissions live and on site. Designers and companies from a total of 46 nations took part in this year's award.