Klaus Bertisch studied English and German literature, pedagogy, and artistic training in Frankfurt. From 1979 to 1987, he served as dramaturg at the Frankfurt Opera. Starting in 1987, he worked as a freelance dramaturg and writer for the Siemens Cultural Program in Munich, as well as for theatres and festivals across Europe.From 1990 to 2018, he was dramaturg at the Amsterdam National Opera, collaborating with directors such as Pierre Audi, Willy Decker, Christof Loy, and Andrea Breth. He has also directed recitals based on texts by Rilke, Heine, Goethe, and Mörike.He has lectured in theatre studies at the University of Amsterdam and taught at the International Opera Studio Nederland, the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival Academy. He currently teaches at the Dutch National Opera Academy in Amsterdam, where he staged Brahms’ Liebesliederwalzer cycle, which was revived this season at La Monnaie in Brussels.Klaus Bertisch has published the Schwanenmärchen collection, a book on director Ruth Berghaus, and a biography of the Dutch composer Leo Smit. He was the dramaturg for Don Giovanni at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2025.At the Paris National Opera: Tosca, 2014; Fin de partie, 2022.

Klaus BertischDramatist