MAX WAGNER
The Gasteig’s current
exterior, built in 1985
14 AUDITORIA 2019 VOLUME ONE
be approved by the city council; it is expected in
the second or third quarter of 2019.
Although he can’t talk about who might win,
Wagner is happy to talk about why the change is
happening. “A major renovation of the building
had become unavoidable as the lifespan of
many facilities has come to an end after more
than 30 years of intensive use,” he says. “All
areas of technology have developed since the
Gasteig was built. Topics such as sustainability
and inclusion have gained importance and our
customers expect more flexibility. Munich’s
population is set to grow with 300,000 new
inhabitants each year, so we will have to meet
growing demand too.”
me to work with him,” he explains. “The third
time, I considered it. The Stuttgart Chamber
Orchestra had a lot of debt and not a lot of
concert bookings and I think they only took
me on as the artistic director because of this
bad situation. I didn’t have any experience, so I
learned a lot by doing. But after three years this
small orchestra really took off and we toured
the world – Japan, China, South America, USA,
England, everywhere.”
Tender process
At the time of going to press, many of the
specialists involved in refurbishing the Gasteig
had been selected but the main site’s architectural
tender process was ongoing. The decision must
UNDERSTANDING THE PERFORMER
Wagner’s time as a singer has prepared him well for making
artists feel at home. “It’s very important how you are welcomed,
for example with a flower in the dressing room, or by someone
coming by to say, ‘We’re so happy you’re here’,” he says.
“It shows the performer their art is valued and as a person they
are valued. Then it’s about where the dressing room is – it
should be as near to the stage as possible, to gain more of the
atmosphere, and also have a toilet. All these little things count.”
It’s interesting to note as Wagner speaks that the ‘they’ and
‘you’ in his descriptions of manager and performer are
interchangeable, which maybe hints at just how much he still
identifies as being a performer as well as a manager. “Before
you go on stage is a critical moment, you might feel crazy, which
can lead to fear or anxiety,” he says. “People behave really
strangely sometimes then, so as someone taking care of these
artists you need to accept that and
make room for it.”
MEET MAX WAGNER
After studying law at Ludwig-Maximilians Universität in Munich
and music at Carl Maria von Weber Music Academy, Dresden,
Wagner started his career as a classical music singer in 1994.
In 2003 he also started to practice law in Munich before being
approached to manage the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, a
position he held from 2005 to 2011. Wagner then became
executive director of the State Theater at Gärtnerplatz in Munich
from 2012 to 2015.
Wagner then joined the Gasteig as deputy executive director
in 2016, before ascending to his current role as executive
director in March 2017.
Wagner has also served as a member of the Cultural Council
of the German state of Baden-Württemberg and has been on
several artistic juries. Since 2010 he has been a member of the
International Society for the Performing Arts and has been on
its board of directors since January 2018.
GMG Matthias Schoenhofer