Thomas Ziegler

The Swiss designer Thomas Ziegler, born in Solothurn, studied at the Académie Julian in Paris, at the Bern School of Visual Arts and the Bern University. After assisting the set designer Werner Hutterli, he has been working as a freelance set and costume designer for drama, opera and ballet at theatres in Switzerland, Germany, The Nederlands and England since 1990. Furthermore, he creates exhibition concepts and graphic designs. With the director Marianne de Pury he realised numerous projects in Sarajevo, Melbourne, Farmington and at the Kammeroper Konstanz. He has created works for Karin Wirthner’s and Frank Demenga’s Bern Puppet Theatre as well as several set and costume designs for ballets by Eric Oberdorff and Nick Hobbs. He has worked with Antoine Jully at the BallettCompagnie Oldenburg. On behalf of the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust, Thomas Ziegler created new designs for the restaging of Tudor’s ballets »Lilac Garden« with ballettmainz as well as the pas de deux »The Leaves are Fading« and »Dark Elegies« with Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg. From his many years of close collaboration with the choreographer Martin Schläpfer for ballettmainz and Ballett am Rhein, his stage and costume designs for the pieces »Vom Winde beweint«, »Der Feuervogel«, »Ritirata notturna«, »Diabelli-Variationen«, »Rendering«, »Obelisco«, »ein Wald, ein See«, »Kunst der Fuge«, »Ramifications«, »3«, »Streichquartett«, »Drittes Klavierkonzert«, »Violakonzert«, »Sinfonien« and »Variationen und Partiten« deserve special mention. For Martin Schläpfer’s world premiere »Sinfonie Nr. 15« in June 2021 at the Vienna State Opera, Thomas Ziegler worked for the first time with the Vienna State Ballet. In February 2023 he celebrated his debut at the Volksoper Wien with his designs for Martin Schläpfer’s »Ramifications«.