Several artists announce a model lawsuit against the Salzburg Festival. In concrete terms, this concerns payments in the millions after corona-related postponements and cancellations in the festival summer of 2020. In addition, the artists are demanding the dismissal of those responsible. The festival management strongly rejects the allegations.
Accusations against the Salzburg Festival were leveled as early as September 2022, the “Krone” reported. Now several artists, especially Kammersänger Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, are filing a design lawsuit. The charges include the violation of the Theater Work Act, various awards of choir members of the concert society and the violation of the payment obligation through postponement and cancellation in the summer of 2020.
At that time, some operas, plays, and concerts were postponed or canceled entirely due to the pandemic. According to Ablinger-Sperrhacke, despite the inconvenience – despite the payment obligation – there was no compensation for the artists. In addition, artists belonging to the regular members of the artists’ association would have been paid about twice as much as additional members.
Ablinger-Sperrhacke criticizes this as a “blatant violation of the principle of equality”. In addition, there were termination agreements. The artists were urged to do so without receiving any compensation. The resignation of artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser and commercial director Lukas Crepaz is demanded.
In total, an additional payment of ten million euros is suspected. The Salzburg Festival denies these allegations. There have been amendment agreements and payments.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
