SOFIA SIMITZIS IS A GERMAN-GREEK OPERA AND THEATRE DIRECTOR. SHE IS KNOWN FOR CREATING CONTEMPORARY MUSIC THEATRE PERFORMANCES.

SHE STUDIED THEATRE, LITERATURE AND MUSICOLOGY IN MUNICH, PARIS AND BERLIN AND SHE GRADUATED WITH A THESIS ON CHRISTOPH MARTHALER.

WITH THE PERFORMANCE ART GROUP GOB SQUAD SHE HAS TOURED THROUGHOUT EUROPE, USA, CANADA, ASIA AND AUSTRALIA.

SHE DIRECTED, AMONG OTHER WORKS, THE OPENING OF STEIRISCHER HERBST FESTIVAL IN GRAZ WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF SPECTER OF THE GARDENIA BY JOHANNES MARIA STAUD WITH ENSEMBLE MODERN.
FOR STAATSOPER UNTER DEN LINDEN BERLIN SHE DIRECTED EUROPERAS BY JOHN CAGE, EL CIMARRON BY HANS WERNER HENZE, AS WELL AS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF FLUXNM AS PART OF FESTIVAL INFECTION.
WITH SUPPORT OF THE GERMAN CAPITAL CULTURAL FUND HAUPTSTADTKULTURFONDS SHE DEVELOPED AND DIRECTED THE MUSIC THEATRE BYE BYE BLONDIE, A MIX BETWEEN PUNK AND OPERA BASED ON THE NOVEL BY VIRGINIE DESPENTES.
WHILE EARLIER SHE HAD CREATED THE MUSIC THEATER INTERVIEW BASED ON ORIGINAL HEARING PROTOCOLS OF THE FEDERAL OFFICE FOR MIGRATION AND REFUGEES AS PART OF THE MUSIC THEATRE EXHIBITION INTERIORS FOR FRANKFURT OPERA.
SHE DIRECTED LA TRAGÉDIE DE CARMEN WITH THE BERLIN PHILARMONIC ORCHESTRA ACADEMY IN A VERSION BY PETER BROOK FOR BADEN-BADEN EASTER FESTIVAL.
SHE DIRECTED THE SMALLEST OPERA HOUSE ON WHEELS LANDQULTOUR TOURING WITH THREE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF BERLIN-BRANDENBURG.
SHE DIRECTED THE WORLD PREMIERE OF AHEAD OF STRUWWELPETER BY AMERICAN NOVELIST IRENE DISCHE AND BRITISH COMPOSER DAVID ROBERT COLEMAN WITH SUPPORT OF THE GERMAN FEDERAL CULTURAL FOUNDATION KULTURSTIFTUNG DES BUNDES.
FOR BADISCHES STAATSTHEATER SHE ADAPTED AN ADDITIONAL NOVEL BY VIRGINIE DESPENTES AND PREMIERED APOKALYPSE BABY.
SHE ALSO REGULARLY COLLABORATES WITH GREEK COMPOSER ELEFTHERIOS VENIADIS.
THEY HAVE CREATED THE WORLD PREMIERE BANQUET BASED ON TEXTS BY SATIRICAL POET GEORGIOS SOURIS FOR CHIOS MUSIC FESTIVAL IN GREECE.
MOST RECENTLY THEY CREATED AND PREMIERED THE SOCCER OPERA WITH ORIGINAL TEXTS BY AUSTRIAN WRITER GERHILD STEINBUCH FOR ATHENS & EPIDAURUS FESTIVAL.

SOFIA SIMITZIS HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE JURY AND A LECTURER FOR THE GERMAN ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION STUDIENSTIFTUNG DES DEUTSCHEN VOLKES. SHE HAS BEEN A LECTURER FOR GOETHE INSTITUT AND ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE D´ART D´AIX-EN-PROVENCE ET DE MARSEILLE. SHE IS AN ALUMNA OF THE ACADEMY MUSIC THEATER NOW AKADEMIE MUSIKTHEATER HEUTE.

FROM 2004 UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 2010 SHE WORKED AS AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR TO CHRISTOPH SCHLINGENSIEF COLLABORATING ON ALL OF HIS MAJOR WORKS, INCLUDING PARSIFAL AT BAYREUTH FESTIVAL, EINE KIRCHE DER ANGST VOR DEM FREMDEN IN MIR AT RUHRTRIENNALE, MEA CULPA. A READY MADE OPERA AT BURGTHEATER VIENNA, AS WELL AS FOR VOLKSBÜHNE-AM-ROSA-LUXEMBURG-PLATZ BERLIN.