19.01.2026

JULIAN PRÉGARDIEN is the new Artistic Director of the Liedzentrum in Heidelberg

Julian Prégardien is as of 2026 the Artistic Director of the Heidelberger Frühling Liedzentrum, which was founded in 2016 as a centre of excellence for lieder. Its aim is to preserve the heritage of lieder and promote its revival at the highest level. It encompasses the Heidelberger Frühling Liedakademie under the artistic direction of Thomas Hampson and the Heidelberger Frühling Liedfestival.

With the appointment of Julian Prégardien, the further development of the Liedzentrum is being placed in the hands of the next generation. In addition to the further development of the Lied Academy with Thomas Hampson, the Lied Centre aims to be a lively place of artistic production and networking through additional initiatives and activities. In doing so, it will raise international awareness of the diversity of lieder and its significance for the musical landscape, create connections within and beyond the lieder scene, and open up spaces for participation by a wider audience.

Julian Prégardien on his new appointment: "Singing lieder, moving people with them, inspiring them, bringing them together and discussing them – all of this is a true elixir of life for me and a never-ending source of inspiration. Lieder enable encounters and open up spaces for mutual exchange – this is what I want to promote as Artistic Director of the Liedzentrum. Together with the team at Heidelberger Frühling, I will seek dialogue with the city's community in my new role, inviting curiosity and openness and promoting cultural education. In close collaboration with my esteemed colleague Thomas Hampson, it is also important to me that the excellent graduates of the Lied Academy, which is unique in the German-speaking world, have more opportunities to perform and that these young talents continue the mission of inspiring and bringing people together with lied.

Thorsten Schmidt on the appointment of Julian Prégardien "I am delighted that we have been able to bring Julian Prégardien on board as Artistic Director of the Heidelberger Frühling Liedzentrum. Not only is he one of the outstanding lieder singers of our time, but he has also positioned and promoted lieder in the German music landscape with his initiatives, which have had a broad impact. An excellent communicator, he conveys his ideas to a loyal audience and, with his creative approaches, also reaches the audience of tomorrow. Together, we are now setting out to expand the Liedzentrum as an independent institution with national appeal and to lead lieder into the future.”