Demis Volpi, Artistic Director of the Hamburg Ballet as of the 2024/25 season.
The German-Argentinean received his dance education in Buenos Aires, at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto and at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. Subsequently he became a member of the Stuttgart Ballet. In 2006, Volpi choreographed his first work for the renowned "Noverre Society: Young Choreographers" series in Stuttgart. In 2013 was appointed Resident Choreographer of the Stuttgart Ballet after the world premiere of his highly successful story ballet "Krabat". He took on his first directorship in 2020/21 as Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of the Ballett am Rhein, which he will lead until summer 2024. Fascinated by stories and their potential to inspire people, he continues to explore the possibilities of storytelling in ballet. In his first season as Director of the Hamburg Ballet, he will create "Demian" based on the novel by Hermann Hesse.
During his time at the Stuttgart Ballet, Demis Volpi choreographed, among others, "Krabat" (based on Ottfried Preussler's novel), "Salome" (based on Oscar Wilde) and "The Soldier's Tale". He also created "The Nutcracker" for the Royal Ballet of Flanders and "Giselle" and "Closed Game" for the Ballett am Rhein. In addition, he has created numerous abstract works such "Aftermath" for the Stuttgart Ballet, "Sanguinic" for a quadruple bill titled "Four Temperaments" and "The thing with feathers" (both for Ballett am Rhein). In 2010, he created "The Carnival of the Animals" for the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, which was added to the repertoire of the Hamburg Ballet School by John Neumeier in 2012.
Over the past two decades, Volpi has created narrative and abstract works for renowned companies such as the American Ballet Theatre, the Ballet de Santiago de Chile, the Ballet Nacional del Sodre in Uruguay, the Latvian National Ballet, Ballett Dortmund, the Compañia Nacional de Danza de México, the Royal Ballet of Flanders and Canada's National Ballet School, where he was Guest Artist in Residence in 2014.
Since 2014, Volpi has also been working as an opera director, expanding the boundaries of theater genres. In 2017, he staged Benjamin Britten's "Death in Venice" in a celebrated co-production of the Stuttgart State Opera, the Stuttgart Ballet and the John Cranko School. At the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, he interpreted "Bluebeard's Castle" by Béla Bartók.
Volpi was awarded the Erik Bruhn Prize in 2011, the Chilean Prize of the Art Critics' Circle in 2012 and the German Dance Prize "Future" in 2014. He was nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse in 2017 for his full-length ballet "Salome" and, following the successful opera premiere of "Death in Venice", was voted Emerging Artist of the Year 2017 in the critics' choice of Opernwelt. Volpi was a member of the jury for the Prix de Lausanne 2018 and the International Competition for Choreography Hanover. In September 2019, his work and achievements as a choreographer over the past ten years were honored with the Merit Diploma at the Konex Awards in Buenos Aires.
March 2024
LIST OF WORKS
Choreographies
on and on and on
World Premiere: "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, May 2006, Stuttgart Ballet
spinto
World Premiere: Gala "Musik und Ballett" of the orchestra association Stuttgart at the Liederhalle Stuttgart
swish
World Premiere: "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, June 2007, Stuttgart Ballet
palpable leers
World Premiere "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, July 2008, Stuttgart Ballet
The Broadway Baby
Collaboration with Bridget Breiner; World Premiere on April 1, 2009 for the gala on occasion of Ballet Director Reid Anderson's 60th birthday
from me to you
World Premiere "Young Choreographers", Noverre Society, July 2009, Stuttgart Ballet
Big Blur
Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: March 31, 2010, Play House Theatre, Stuttgart
Der Zauberlehrling
World Premiere "Choreografen stellen sich vor", July 4, 2010; Baden State Theater Karlsruhe
Der Karneval der Tiere
Commissioned work for the John Cranko Schule, World Premiere during the "Aktion Weihnachten": December 5, 2010, Opera House Stuttgart
The choreography was taken into the repertoire of Hamburg Ballet's ballet school in May 2012
Little Monsters
World Premiere at The Ninth International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize on March 5, 2011, The National Ballet of Canada
Capricen
Commissioned work for the Badisches Staatstheaters Karlsruhe, World Premiere: March 12, 2011, Baden State Theater Karlsruhe
Private Light
Commissioned work for the American Ballet Theatre, World Premiere: November 5, 2011, Bard College, later at the New York City Center
Fingerspitzengefühl
World Premiere during the "Aktion Weihnachten": December 11, 2011, Stuttgart Ballet
Hypnotic Poison
World Premiere during the mixed bill "Forsythe, Galili, Volpi": March 24, 2012, Ballet Augsburg
Spaceman
Solo for Luis Ortigoza (Ballett de Santiago de Chile), World Premiere: August 29, 2012, Teatro Municipal de Santiago
Allure
Solo for Hyo-Jung Kang (Stuttgart Ballet), World Premiere: September 15, 2012, Dortmund Ballet
Krabat
Full-length ballet. Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: March 22, 2013, Stuttgart Ballet
Jam Session – on Tour
Choreography between objects of theartists Alexander Calder und Tamás Saraceno in the Kunstraum K20 und K21 in Dusseldorf, World Premiere: October 2, 2013, Ballett im Revier, Gelsenkirchen
self-protrait of a woman
World Premiere: February 8, 2014 at the Stadttheater Aschaffenburg, DanceWorks Chicago
Aftermath
Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: April 17, 2014, Stuttgart Ballet
Elēģija
World Premiere on April 26, 2014, Latvian National Ballet Riga
Chalkboard Memories
World Premiere in May 23, 2014, National Ballet School Toronto
Quasi una fantasia
World Premiere on August 27, 2014, Ballet de Santiago de Chile
Aus Ihrer Zeit
World Premiere on September 27, 2014 at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Stuttgart Ballet
Ebony Concerto
World Premiere on February 14, 2015, Ballet Dortmund
The Soldier's Tale
Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: March 13, 2015, Stuttgart Ballet
of the People
World Premiere July 15, 2015, National Ballet School Toronto
Flair
Pas de Deux für Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo
The Nutcracker
Full-length ballet. World Premiere January 24, 2016, Royal Ballet of Flanders
Salome
Full-length ballet. Commissioned work for the Stuttgart Ballet, World Premiere: June 10, 2016, Stuttgart Ballet
Death in Venice
Co-Production Stuttgart Ballet and Oper Stuttgart: Direction/Choreography. Premiere: Mai 7, 2017
Le sacre du printemps
World Premiere for Compañía Nacional de Danza de México, Premiere: March 11, 2018
King and King
World Premiere for Compañía Nacional de Danza de México, Premiere: July 27, 2018
the little match girl passion
Choreography of the vocal composition of David Lang, Co-Production for the National Youth Ballett and the PODIUM Festival Esslingen, Premiere: May 2, 2018
Choreographies for the Opera
La Juive
Choreography for the opera "La Juive" at the State Opera Stuttgart, Premiere: March 16, 2008, State Opera Stuttgart
Don Giovanni
Staging of the opera "Don Giovanni" at the Nationaltheater Weimar, Premiere: September 8, 2018
Médée | Medea Senecae | Medeamaterial
(Opera by Luigi Cherubini | Choir by Iannis Xenakis | Monolgue from "Medeamaterial" by Heiner Müller)
Staging and Choreography of the Co-Production and Choreography of the Co-Production of opera, dance and drama of the Saarländisches Staatstheater, Premiere: January 19, 2019
Teseo
Choreography for the opera "Teseo" at the State Opera Stuttgart, Premiere: May 2, 2009, State Opera Stuttgart
Fetonte
Production of the opera "Fetonte" in Schwetzingen, Premiere: November 28, 2014, Theater Heidelberg
Awards
2007
Nomination in the category "Young choreographer to watch" in the critics' survey of the magazine ballettanz
2011
Nomination in the category "Young choreographer to watch" in the critics' survey of the magazine ballettanz
2011
Erik Bruhn Prize: Choreographic Prize for "Little Monsters", performed by Elisa Badenes and Daniel Camargo
2012
Nomination in the category "Young choreographer to watch" in the critics' survey of the magazine ballettanz
2012
Chilean Cultural Critics' Award nominated "Spaceman" the best choreography of the year 2012
2014
German Dance Prize "Future"
