Prof. Dr. phil. habil. Stephan Mösch completed a dual degree programme: music, theatre and literary studies in Berlin, and vocal studies in Berlin and Stuttgart. He attended masterclasses with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Aribert Reimann and Helmuth Rilling. He was a scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation and the Richard Wagner Scholarship Foundation. Whilst still a student, he was awarded the Domgraf-Fassbaender Prize and was a prize-winner at the German Music Competition. In 2001, he obtained his doctorate at the Technical University of Berlin with a study on Boris Blacher (‘Der gebrauchte Text’, published in 2002 by Metzler Verlag; press reviews can be found under the list of publications). He completed his habilitation in 2008 at the University of Bayreuth, which led to him being granted the ‘venia legendi’ in both musicology and theatre studies, with a particular focus on musical theatre. His habilitation thesis, funded by the DFG and winner of several awards, entitled ‘Weihe, Werkstatt, Wirklichkeit. Wagner’s “Parsifal” in Bayreuth 1882–1933’, was published in its third edition by Bärenreiter in 2026 (press reviews listed under the list of publications).
As a university lecturer in both academic and artistic fields, Stephan Mösch was a member of the inaugural faculty of the ‘Executive Master in Arts Administration’ programme at the University of Zurich and one of the mentors for the FWF project ‘Opera between Hermeneutics and Performativity’ at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz. In 2010–11, he held a visiting professorship in the Chair of Music Theatre Studies at the University of Bayreuth. He has also taught at the universities of Berlin (UdK), Marburg and Vienna, as well as at the Weimar Masterclasses, the Korean National University of Arts in Seoul and the Conservatory of Music in Shanghai. He was invited to give lectures and host events by the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals, as well as by many major opera houses (including the Bavarian State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Frankfurt Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Stuttgart State Opera and Vienna State Opera). He organised and chaired conferences both in Austria and abroad.
From 1994 to 2013, Stephan Mösch served as editor-in-chief of the specialist journal *Opernwelt* (Berlin), significantly expanding and shaping its profile. During this period, he was also co-editor of the *OPER* yearbook and a CD series. In 2004, ‘Opernwelt’ was awarded the Gottlob Frick Medal in gold. For 30 years, Stephan Mösch has been writing for the arts and culture section of the ‘Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’ and working for ARD radio stations. He has repeatedly been invited to appear as an expert on television programmes, including the first live broadcasts from the Bayreuth Festival (Arte, ZDF/3sat, BR).
From 2021 to 2026, Stephan Mösch led the RIWA 26 project at the Karlsruhe University of Music (HfM Karlsruhe), which operated at the intersection of academic and artistic research, culminated in the 150th anniversary of the Bayreuth Festival and encompassed a wide variety of formats (riwa26.de). In 2026, Mösch was awarded the Upper Franconia Foundation’s Culture Prize. His book *Bayreuth as Theatre: Towards a History of the Festival* (published by Bärenreiter/Metzler) was voted ‘Book of the Year 2026’ in the *Opernwelt* critics’ poll (see press reviews under the list of publications).
In 2024, Stephan Mösch was a fellow of the Kempff Cultural Foundation (Berlin/Positano). In 2022, he was elected a member of the German Academy of Performing Arts. From 2011 to 2021, he served on the board of trustees of the International Hugo Wolf Academy e.V. (Stuttgart). From 2012 to 2018, he served on the board of trustees of the Richard Wagner Foundation for the redesign of the Richard Wagner Museum in Bayreuth. From 2019 to 2022, he was a member of the advisory board at the German Historical Museum (Berlin). He has been a jury member for numerous national and international competitions in singing, directing and stage design, such as the Federal Singing Competition, the Concours Suisse Ernst Haefliger, the Competizione dell’Opera, the ‘Debut’ Competition, the Ring Award, the International Competition for Art Song organised by the Hugo Wolf Academy e.V. and the Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition. He is also a member of the German Record Critics’ Award.