Ralf Merkel

Biography

Ralf Merkel concentrated on the technical and artistic aspects of theatrical lighting after graduating with a degree as an electrical engineer.

After working for the Landestheater Altenburg and the Prinzregenten Theatre in Munich, where he also taught at the Bavarian Theatre Academy, he moved to Hamburg to work with John Neumeier in 2002.

Since then he has worked for the Hamburg State Opera as Lighting Director for the Hamburg Ballet and has toured with the company to numerous theatres around the world. John Neumeier’s work with other ballet companies has taken him to cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Beijing, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Oslo and Warsaw.