Lukas Gaudernak

Lukas Gaudernak has been working at the Vienna State Opera since 1987 – first as a dancer, today as production manager and ballet master of the State Ballet. Born in Vienna, he studied at the ballet school of the Austrian Federal Theatres and completed his training in Cannes, Monte Carlo, London, Berlin and New York. In 1987 he became a member of the Vienna State Opera Ballet, where he danced numerous roles in the classical and contemporary repertoire and distinguished himself especially in character roles such as Coppélius in Harangozó’s Sen. »Coppélia«, Wilfrid in Tchernichova’s »Giselle«, Tutor of the Prince in Nureyev’s »Swan Lake«, Galifron in Wright’s »The Sleeping Beauty«, Mercutio and Duke of Verona in Crankoʼs »Romeo and Juliet«, Emperor Franz Joseph I. in MacMillan’s »Mayerling«, Squenz/Wand in Neumeier’s »A Midsummer Night’s Dream«, Monsieur Arnaud in Zanella’s »Aschenbrödel«, Factotum in Hassreiterʼs »Die Puppenfee«, Corregidor in Massine’s »The Tricorned-Hat« as well as parts in Kyliánʼs »Symphony in D« and »Six Dances«. Renato Zanella created roles for Lukas Gaudernak in »Wolfgang Amadé«, »The Nutcracker« and »Spartacus«, Jorma Elo in »A Midsummer Night’s Dream«. In 2010 he retired as a dancer but occasionally appears in productions of the Vienna State Ballet, such as Auctioneer in John Neumeierʼs »Lady of the Camellias«.

After gaining initial experience as a choreographic assistant in opera productions at the Vienna State Opera, Lukas Gaudernak has worked as a rehearsal director since 2006. Since 2009, he has been also production manager for the Vienna State Ballet. 

With his first own choreography »1994 – In the Year of the Family« Lukas Gaudernak won the International Choreographers Competition »Prix Volinine 95« in Paris. Further works were created for the series »off ballet« of the Vienna State Opera Ballet and the Young Choreographers series »choreo.lab«, for opera and operetta productions of the Vienna State Opera, Volksoper Vienna and Zurich Opera as well as for productions in the WUK and dietheater Künstlerhaus, for the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Conservatory and the Szene Bunte Wähne.

As choreographic assistant, Lukas Gaudernak has been in charge of the ballet interludes for the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concerts since 2008. For the 2009 New Year’s Concert, he also designed the choreography for the students of the Vienna State Opera Ballet School at the Musikverein. He regularly creates the openings for the Ball of the Viennese Coffee Makers and the New Year’s Eve Ball at the Vienna Hofburg, in 2017 he choreographed the ballet interlude for the opening of the Vienna Opera Ball.