Birgit Meyer

Born and raised in Cologne, Birgit Meyer graduated from high school in Cologne-Porz in 1979. From 1979 to 1986 she studied medicine in Regensburg and Munich. After completing her medical studies, she took up a scientific position as a doctor at the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich. In parallel to her medical work, Meyer began studying theater studies with a focus on music theater at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.

In 1989 he received his doctorate in medicine from the Technical University of Munich.

Birgit Meyer continued studying theater studies until she went to Innsbruck as a dramaturge at the Tyrolean State Theater in 1992. There she worked with artistic director Dominique Mentha for seven years, most recently as head music dramaturg. In 1999 Meyer moved to the Volksoper Vienna as chief dramaturge and member of the board. There she worked for a total of ten years under three different directors (Dominique Mentha / Rudolf Berger / Robert Meyer). During this time Meyer networked the Volksoper with numerous cultural institutions in Vienna, including the Austrian Theater Museum / RadioKulturhaus Vienna / ORF / Arnold Schönberg Center / Society of Friends of Music Theater / Italian Cultural Institute and the Karajan Center. In cooperation with the Jewish Museum Vienna, she conceived and directed an international symposium in 2005 on the topic: “Degenerate Music - Rediscovered”.

At the Volksoper, Meyer and her assistant Tanja Fasching built up the entire offer for children and schools for over ten years, designed model children's workshops and school projects that were also included in the teaching program of the University of Music and Performing Arts, Music Education Department. During the summer of 1997 - 2001 Meyer worked regularly for the Salzburg Festival (director: Gérard Mortier).

In the summer semester of 2004 Birgit Meyer received her first teaching assignment at the Bavarian Theater Academy in Munich in the dramaturgy course. For four years she organized seminars about work analysis of opera / program design and program booklet design. She was also a visiting lecturer at the Institute for Musicology at the University of Vienna, before she accepted a permanent teaching position at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna from 2008 to 2013 and taught dramaturgy in the directing course.

In 2009 Birgit Meyer joined the Cologne Opera as chief dramaturge and opera director, and has been director of the house since the beginning of the 2012/2013 season.

Meyer has two grown daughters.