Werner Sauer

Werner Sauer studied opera directing under Götz Friedrich at the Hamburg University of Music and Performing Arts and received his diploma in 1989. He has been with the Komische Oper Berlin since 1990. There, he initially worked as an assistant director under artistic directors Andreas Homoki and Barrie Kosky, as well as chief director Harry Kupfer. Over the course of his career, he increasingly took on artistic responsibilities of his own and was involved in numerous productions. In 2002, he served as a lecturer in stage direction at the Berlin University of the Arts. He also assisted director Willy Decker with productions at the Vienna State Opera. In 2006, he co-directed Der Rosenkavalier at the Komische Oper Berlin with Andreas Homoki. In 2008, he staged Carmen at the tTheater für nNiedersachsen and was responsible for the set design. From 2009 to 2025, Werner Sauer headed the opera studio at the Komische Oper Berlin, which regularly stages smaller musical theater projects. He also served as the theater’s production manager from 2012 to 2016. Since 2016, he has served as the theater’s opera director. In addition to his work at the Komische Oper Berlin, Werner Sauer is also active internationally and has been involved in productions in cities such as Nuremberg, Antwerp, Brussels, Milan, Tokyo, Naples, Genoa, Graz, and Prague.

As of September 2026