Diana Damrau to Auction Her Gowns to Aid Fire-Stricken Theater Ulm
Diana Damrau will auction her evening gowns to aid Theater Ulm after a fire destroyed around 27,000 costumes. A benefit gala is set for Oct. 29, 2026.
Programme
- Diana Damrau will auction evening gowns this month to raise funds for Theater Ulm.
- A fire on the night of June 24-25, 2025 destroyed around 27,000 costumes plus props, furniture and instruments.
- The blaze occurred in the theater's external warehouse in the old Paketposthalle near Ulm central station.
- Damrau performs a benefit gala with the opera ensemble and Ulm Philharmonic on Oct. 29, 2026.
- The program includes music by Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Strauss and Lehár.
Soprano Diana Damrau will auction off some of her evening gowns this month to raise money for Theater Ulm, the German house devastated by a fire that destroyed around 27,000 costumes.
The fire broke out on the night of June 24 and 25, 2025, in the theater's external prop and costume warehouse, located in the old Paketposthalle near Ulm's central station. The losses were extensive.
According to OperaWire, the destroyed holdings included:
- Around 27,000 costumes, among them historic pieces, ballet dresses and uniforms
- Hundreds of props
- Furniture
- Musical instruments
What will the benefit gala include?
Damrau will anchor a fundraising gala at Theater Ulm on Oct. 29, 2026. She will perform alongside the theater's opera ensemble and the Philharmonic Orchestra of the city of Ulm.
The program spans music by Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Strauss and Lehár, among many other composers. The auction of the soprano's own evening gowns will run in parallel with the gala as part of the fundraising effort.
Why does the theater need the money?
The June 2025 fire wiped out a stock of costumes and props built up over the theater's history. Historic garments, ballet dresses and uniforms burned alongside furniture and instruments, leaving the house without its wardrobe and prop reserves.
The gala and gown auction represent the most prominent fundraising initiative announced for the house so far, with Damrau — one of the most internationally visible German sopranos — lending her name, wardrobe and voice to the recovery effort.
The Oct. 29, 2026 date gives Theater Ulm and its supporters more than a year to build the benefit into a cornerstone of the reconstruction fundraising.
Source: Opera Wire
