Christina Loewen became Executive Director of Opera.ca in July 2009 after holding the position of Director of Operations from July 2008. For over 14 years, Christina has worked in the performing arts sector in opera, music and dance in roles ranging from marketing and touring to general management. Christina spent five years with Opera Ontario, the partnership of Opera Hamilton into Kitchener-Waterloo Opera, served as Director of Touring for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, General Manager for Arraymusic and most recently as Managing Director for Danny Grossman Dance Company. She holds a degree in Theatre and Dramatic Literature from Brock University, in St. Catharines, Ontario and an Arts Administration diploma from Confederation College, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Nicholas Payne is the Director of Opera Europa, the leading organization for professional opera companies throughout Europe. He has worked in opera since joining Covent Garden in 1968 at the end of the Webster/Solti period. After a spell at the Arts Council during the early 1970s, he worked for four different UK opera companies over 27 consecutive years: as Financial Controller of Welsh National Opera; General Administrator of Opera North; Director of the Royal Opera Covent Garden; and General Director of English National Opera. Mr. Payne writes and broadcasts regularly on operatic and general arts subjects.

Frederica von Stade — Described by the New York Times as "one of America's finest artists and singers," Frederica von Stade continues to be extolled as one of the music world's most beloved figures. Known to family, friends, and fans by her nickname "Flicka," the mezzo-soprano has enriched the world of classical music for three decades. Ms. von Stade's career has taken her to the stages of the world's great opera houses and concert halls. She began at the top, when she received a contract from Sir Rudolf Bing during the Metropolitan Opera auditions, and since her debut in 1970 she has sung nearly all of her great roles with that company. In January 2000, the company celebrated the 30th anniversary of her debut with a new production of The Merry Widow specifically for her, and in 1995, as a celebration of her 25th anniversary, the Metropolitan Opera created for her a new production of Pelléas et Mélisande. In addition, Miss von Stade has appeared with every leading American opera company, including San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera. Her career in Europe has been no less spectacular, with new productions mounted for her at Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, and the Paris Opera. She is invited regularly by the finest conductors, among them Claudio Abbado, Charles Dutoit, James Levine, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Muti, Seiji Ozawa, André Previn, Leonard Slatkin, and Michael Tilson Thomas, to appear in concert with the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Washington's National Symphony, and the Orchestra of La Scala. She has made over seventy recordings with every major label, including complete operas, aria albums, symphonic works, solo recital programs, and popular crossover albums. Her recordings have garnered six Grammy nominations, two Grand Prix du Disc awards, the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, Italy's Premio della Critica Discografica, and "Best of the Year" citations by Stereo Review and Opera News. She has enjoyed the distinction of holding simultaneously the first and second places on national sales charts for Angel/EMI's Show Boat and Telarc's The Sound of Music. Ms. von Stade is the holder of honorary doctorates from Yale University, Boston University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (which holds a Frederica von Stade Distinguished Chair in Voice), the Georgetown University School of Medicine, and her alma mater, the Mannes School of Music. In 1998 Miss von Stade was awarded France's highest honor in the Arts when she was appointed as an officer of L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 1983 she was honored with an award given at The White House by President Reagan in recognition of her significant contribution to the arts.

Stephen Trampe is the Founder of Owen Development, a St. Louis based real estate development company. Owen has developed over 20 new and historic projects including the historic rehab of the Centene Center for the Arts, the development of the Sally Levy Opera Center for Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the $70 million conversion of the Petrolite Chemical Company Campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. Steve is also Chairman of Sequoia Sciences, an emerging leader in drug discovery. Sequoia has developed an unparalleled library of structurally diverse compounds isolated from plants. Sequoia’s partners include the Missouri Botanical Garden, Washington University, the Danforth Plant Science Center, Montana State University and the University of Liverpool. He is a founding member of the St. Louis Arch Angels which since 2006 has invested approximately $23 million in 25 start-up tech companies. He is also a founding member of the Venture Mentoring Service (VMS) modeled after the MIT program and the Innovation Acceleration Program (IAP) a translational science initiative at Washington University. Steve is Chairman (in perpetuity) of the St. Louis Building Arts Foundation which has the largest collection of architectural artifacts in the United States. He has served on the Board of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for over ten years and has been Chairman of the Facilities Committee since the committee was established. Steve has served as President of Circus Flora, the only one ring European Circus in the United States and has served on the Board of Craft Alliance, St. Louis Film Festival and the Arts & Education Council. A good mediocre singer, Steve sang in the St. Louis Symphony Chorus for ten years and in a traveling troupe during college.

Kevin Newbury is a theater and opera director based in New York City. His production of Virginia at the Wexford Opera Festival recently won the 2010 Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Opera Production. His work has also been nominated for a Grammy Award (Bernstein’s Mass with Marin Alsop), a Drama Desk Award (Best Actor, Candy and Dorothy) and twice for the GLAAD Media Award (winner: Candy and Dorothy, nominated: Kiss and Cry). Kevin is especially committed to developing new work. He has directed the world premieres of several plays and musicals in New York City, five of which have been published or recorded for commercial release. In the opera world, Kevin has collaborated with many top American composers, including Ricky Ian Gordon and Pulitzer Prize winners John Adams and Lewis Spratlan. Kevin has directed new productions for Minnesota Opera (Roberto Devereux, Maria Stuarda), Santa Fe Opera (Falstaff, Life is a Dream), Opera Theatre of St. Louis (Eugene Onegin), L’Opera de Montreal (Devereux), the San Francisco Symphony (El Nino), Glimmerglass Opera (La Cenerentola), Wolf Trap Opera (La Boheme), Wexford (Virginia) and Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center (Bernstein’s Mass). Kevin also directed the revival of Jim Robinson’s production of Nixon in China for Portland Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre and Cincinnati Opera. Kevin’s extensive education work includes developing a new multi-media program with filmmaker Greg Emetaz for Opera Theatre of Louis. Kevin was born and raised in Maine and attended Bowdoin College and Oxford University. Website: kevinnewbury.com

Timothy O'Leary has been General Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis since October 2008. Prior to his appointment, he served as Opera Theatre's Executive Director, working together with outgoing General Director Charles MacKay who recruited him for the position. Previously, Mr. O'Leary served on the senior management team of New York City Opera where, as Director of Operations and Planning, his responsibilities ranged from labor relations to production budgets to audience development programs. Mr. O'Leary has also served as Managing Director of New York's Gotham Chamber Opera, where he produced American premieres by Handel and Sutermeister and collaborated with the Lincoln Center Festival and the Spoleto Festival USA. His fundraising experience includes a tenure as Manager of Institutional Gifts for New York City Opera, as well as consulting assignments for Broadway's Roundabout Theatre Company, the Alliance for the Arts, and Theatre for a New Audience. In addition to his administrative experience, Mr. O'Leary has also worked as a stage director and assistant stage director for companies including New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Colorado, and others. His training includes an apprenticeship with San Francisco Opera's Merola Program, graduate studies at Columbia University in Theatre Management, and an undergraduate degree in English and Drama from Dartmouth College.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Carol F. Henry grew up in Sacramento. She received her Bachelors and Masters of Arts in Education from Stanford University in 1961 and 1962, and taught in the Manhattan Beach City School system until 1966, when she married Warner Henry. Carol’s volunteer career began in 1970 with her involvement with the Junior League of Los Angeles, and since that time she has served on many community boards including KCET Women’s Council, The National Council on Alcoholism, Cate School, Teach for America, the Los Angeles Opera League, the Pasadena Art Alliance, and the Art Center College of Design, and she currently serves as a Director on the Board of Advisors to USC Thornton School of Music. Carol has served on the Board of Los Angeles Opera since 1985, where she began her term as President of the Board on July 1, 2005. Carol and Warner have apartments in San Francisco, Park City, and Paris and they currently reside in Pasadena, California. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.

Keith Cerny (pronounced SUR-nee) is the seventh general director in the history of the Dallas Opera. The former CEO of Sheet Music Plus, Keith managed the day-to-day operations of the award-winning, 25 million dollar revenue company with sales to over 170 countries worldwide. Previously, he served as an Executive Director at Russell Reynolds Associates, recruiting CEOs and senior executives for universities, conservatories, museums and foundations. From 2004 through 2007, he served as Executive Director (COO) and CFO of the San Francisco Opera; managing all marketing, fund-raising, box-office, endowment, communications, finance and staff functions for one of the nation's leading opera companies. As one of SFO's two principal officers reporting to the San Francisco Opera Association, he managed the organization to three consecutive years of balanced budgets. Keith earned B.A. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley in Music and Physics with highest honors, an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School, and a Ph.D. in Economic Development Studies/Econometrics from The Open University in the U.K. He also completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders-Arts offered by National Arts Strategies and the Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

David Bennett joined the Gotham Chamber Opera as Managing Director in July, 2006 and was named Executive Director in May, 2010. He came to Gotham from Dance New Amsterdam (DNA), Lower Manhattan’s center for dance education, creation, and performance, where he served as Managing Director. While at DNA, he led a $5.7 million capital campaign for DNA’s new home and oversaw the organization’s emergence as a significant producer of modern dance in New York City. Prior to DNA, Mr. Bennett was a Senior Consultant with Arts Resources International, where he provided a range of advisory services to non-profit arts organizations, including project feasibility studies, financial operating estimates, economic impact and market analyses, and fund-raising feasibility studies. Before working in Arts Administration, he enjoyed a successful career in opera, appearing as a baritone with a number of companies and orchestras throughout the United States, including the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony, Skylight Opera Theater, and Florentine Opera of Milwaukee. Mr. Bennett holds both an M.B.A. and an M.A. in Arts Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX and serves on the Board of Directors of OPERA America.

W.R. (Bob) McPhee joined Calgary Opera as general director and CEO in 1998. During his tenure, the company has moved from a $2 million to $5 million annual budget. Calgary Opera has become a leader in the country for the development and presentation of new works, and has presented four world premieres (with three more commissioned for 2011 and 2012) and two Canadian premieres (with another premiere planned for 2010). Previously, McPhee was general manager of Orchestra London, was general manager of the Edmonton Symphony, was managing director of the Edmonton Symphony Society and Edmonton Concert Hall Foundation and was president and CEO for Symphony and the new Winspear Centre for Music. He is a founding board member of the Calgary Arts Development Authority, past chair of Opera.ca and sits on the University of Calgary Fine Arts Faculty Advisory Committee. He received his Bachelor of Education (Music) and began his career as a performer, choral conductor and teacher.

Norman Ryan is vice president at Schott Music Corporation and European American Music Distributors in New York. He was born in Riverhead, NY and earned a B.A. in music from Brown University where he studied piano, clarinet, and conducting. He holds certificates in filmmaking from New York University and in Italian language from Università di Siena. He has previously held positions at New York City Opera, The Public Theater, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and G. Schirmer, Inc. He has served as creative consultant for the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Lincoln Center, and American International Artists, and as a contributing writer to Stagebill and Playbill magazines. He serves on the board of directors of the Music Publishers’ Association of America (MPA), American Opera Projects, The Fort Greene Park Conservancy, and was formerly on the Music Advisory Board for the Estate Project for Artists with AIDS. He joined Schott Music in January 2005.

Since 2000, Alec Treuhaft has been a Senior Vice-President of IMG Artists LLC in New York, where he heads the vocal division and personally manages a select roster of singers and conductors including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Audra McDonald, David Daniels, and Alan Gilbert. He began his career in 1980 at Columbia Artists Management, where he specialized in transitioning young American singers into their professional lives; among the artists still before the public whose careers he began were Dawn Upshaw, Heidi Grant Murphy, Paul Groves, and Dwayne Croft. Simultaneously with his work at CAMI he was the Casting Director for Pierre Audi and the Netherlands Opera (1990 - 94). He left both posts to serve as the Vice-President of A+R for BMG Classics North America, where he made recordings with Evgeny Kissin, James Galway, and Michael Tilson Thomas, among others. In 1997 he returned to CAMI for a second stint, again working with singers but adding orchestral touring management to his repertoire with several tours each for the MET Orchestra and the Concertgebouw. Treuhaft graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College and its Conservatory of Music, with degrees in both English and Music; he also holds a Masters in Piano with from Indiana University. He has returned to both schools, along with many others, to offer professional seminars for both young singers and students interested in becoming the next generation of administrators and managers in the music business.

James W. Wright has been general director of Vancouver Opera (VO) since 1999 and holds responsibility for all programming, artistic and administrative functions of the company, including strategic and artistic planning, fund development and government relations. During his tenure, VO has presented five company premieres; commissioned an opera based on Joy Kogawa’s novel Naomi’s Road; commissioned an opera, Lillian Alling, for the company’s 50th anniversary in 2010; initiated Community Forums and Opera Speaks; successfully introduced Music! Words! Opera! and posted operating surpluses in seven out of eight years. He is chair of the Opera.ca board, on the national board of Imagine Canada and serves on The Vancouver Foundation’s Arts and Culture Grants panel. He has worked in opera for 30 years.

Marc A. Scorca joined OPERA America in 1990 as president and CEO, and is responsible for the strategic leadership and management of the organization. Since that time, the OPERA America membership has grown from 120 opera companies to nearly 2,500 organizations and individuals. An additional 16,000 subscribers now receive a variety of free and fee-based services. A strong advocate of collaboration, Scorca has led several cross-disciplinary projects, including the Performing Arts Research Coalition, National Music Coalition, and The First National Performing Arts Convention. Under his leadership, OPERA America has administered two landmark funding initiatives in support of the development of North American operas and opera audiences and launched an endowment effort in 2000 to create a permanent fund dedicated to supporting new works and audience development activities. OPERA America’s relocation from Washington, D.C. to New York City in December 2005 has increased communication and collaboration with and among members both locally and nationally. Scorca has led strategic planning retreats for opera companies and other cultural institutions internationally, and has participated on panels for federal, state, and local funding agencies, as well as for numerous private organizations. He also appears frequently in the media on a variety of cultural issues. Scorca attended Amherst College where he graduated with high honors in both history and music.

Anthony Freud joined Lyric Opera of Chicago as general director on October 1, 2011, opening night of the company's 57th season. The London native is the fourth general director in Lyric’s history. Freud previously served as Houston Grand Opera’s third general director and first CEO (2006-2011). From 1994 to 2005, he served as general director of the internationally respected Welsh National Opera (WNO), Wales’s national opera company and the largest provider of opera to regional England. From 1992 to 1994, Freud was the executive producer for Philips Classics, where he oversaw large-scale recording projects for such artists as Jessye Norman, Seiji Ozawa, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Bernard Haitink. Freud is an Honorary Fellow of both University of Cardiff and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Darren K. Woods was appointed General Director of the Fort Worth Opera in July of 2001. Under his leadership, the Fort Worth Opera has increased subscription and donor bases and has received rave reviews for production quality. Expanding on Mr. Woods’ dedication to young artists, the Fort Worth Opera Studio was founded in the 2002-2003 season with four members who participated in main stage productions, performed for more than 100,000 children and received coaching and lessons from visiting guest artists. In May of 2007 Fort Worth Opera celebrated its first commissioned work: Frau Margot by Thomas Pasatieri, with a libretto by Frank Corsaro as well as celebrating the first annual Fort Worth Opera Festival.

As artistic and general director of Chautauqua Opera since 1995, Jay Lesenger has introduced the Chautauqua audience to important 20th-century works such as Vanessa (Barber) and Two Widows (Smetana), as well as the American musicals A Little Night Music (Sondheim) and She Loves Me (Bock & Harnick). He also produced for the first time at Chautauqua overlooked Italian operas such as Macbeth and Stiffelio by Verdi and Maria Stuarda by Donizetti. He has been engaged by opera companies nationwide, including New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Pacific, Pittsburgh Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, The Atlanta Opera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Columbus, Kentucky Opera, Knoxville Opera, Mobile Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Opera Omaha and Orlando Opera, among others. A dedicated Manhattan resident, Lesenger is a nationally recognized teacher of acting for singers and for five years was an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor, where he directed the School of Music Opera Theatre. His is also a frequent adjudicator for the Metropolitan National Council Auditions and other vocal competitions.

Dr. Frayda B. Lindemann is vice president of the Metropolitan Opera Association, as well as a member of the executive committee and a managing director of the board. In addition, she is a member of the board and chairman of the executive committee of Young Concert Artists, and she also supports the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program (LYADP) of the Metropolitan Opera. Each year, the LYADP discovers and nurtures a group of exceptionally gifted singers for individualized training through the resources of the Metropolitan Opera’s own music and artistic staffs, as well as from invited master teachers. From 1975 to 1977, she was an instructor in music at Columbia, and was also an editor of Current Musicology, a publication of Columbia University Press. For nine years after that, she was assistant professor of music history at Hunter. Lindemann’s other professional affiliations include the Palm Beach Civic Association (director), the American Musicological Society, the Alumni Association of Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the National Actors Theatre (board member) and the Parents Council at Brown University.

Gregory C. Swinehart is the United States and North American Managing Partner of Deloitte’s Forensic & Dispute Services practice. Greg has spent twenty two years providing specialized economic, operational, and accounting consulting services to clients. Greg has been with Deloitte approximately fourteen years. Prior to joining Deloitte, he was a partner in a boutique consulting firm. Before getting his MBA and starting in the consulting world he was a product and process engineer at 3M. Prior to his current roles at Deloitte, he led practices in Minneapolis, New York and Chicago.

Although J.A. “Gus” Blanchard retired from full-time employment at the end of 2002, he currently serves as non-executive chairman of the board of ADC Telecommunications of Eden Prairie. Previously, he held chairman & CEO positions at eFunds Corporation (2000-2002), Deluxe Corporation (1995-2000) and Harbridge Merchant Services (1991-1993). His work background also includes 25 years at AT&T and a brief stint at General Instrument Corp. An alumnus of Princeton and MIT Sloan School, he has served on the boards of Wells Fargo & Co. as well as ADC Telecommunications. Opera became his first musical love and passion as a result of the Texaco radio broadcasts in the 1950s. In addition to service with Minnesota Opera that began in 1996, he was a director of New York City Opera for five years, and has sought out opera performances in Europe, Asia and Australia in addition to numerous American venues. He and his wife, Mary, have two married daughters and reside in White Bear Lake, MN.

Gregory Carpenter joined the staff of Opera Colorado as director of development in 2004 and became general director in 2007. He is responsible for overseeing artistic and administrative operations of the company, guiding a staff of seventeen full-time employees. As the director of development, he proved himself as an exemplary leader in the areas of fundraising operations, working with a 45-member governing board and overseeing a full-time professional staff of four. He has successfully generated revenue through special events, donor cultivation, community partnerships and corporate support. Carpenter was the chairman of the fundraising committee for the National Performing Arts Convention. Prior to joining Opera Colorado, he worked for three years as the manager of development with the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. There, he worked closely with the National Symphony Orchestra leadership and an 85 member board to achieve and exceed annual fundraising goals averaging $8.9 to $10.5 million.

Rena M. DeSisto is head of marketing & corporate affairs for Europe, the Middle East & Africa; and Global Arts & Heritage executive at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In her marketing & corporate affairs role, DeSisto oversees the company’s marketing, sponsorships and philanthropy for the region. In her role of global arts & culture executive, she oversees the programming of Bank of America-related investments in nonprofit arts institutions and the communities they serve. DeSisto also oversees a grant program for nonprofit arts organizations to strengthen their ability to educate and serve their local communities. Previously, DeSisto was philanthropy executive with the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, and before that, marketing executive. She served as co-lead on the marketing and communications team that combined Bank of America with Fleet, and which launched the Bank of America brand in the Northeast States. She has also held the position of senior vice president for FleetBoston Financial Corporation, where she oversaw marketing, philanthropy and communications in Metropolitan New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

David B. Devan David B. Devan was appointed as general director of the Opera Company of Philadelphia (OCP) in 2011. He joined the company in January 2006 following an extensive North American search to identify a managing director and was subsequently appointed as executive director before assuming his current role. During his tenure, Devan has spearheaded strategic planning initiatives and built partnerships within the community and the opera world. Key achievements include the creation of the Aurora Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman Theater, and the establishment of the nation's first-ever collaborative composer-in-residence program with New York partners Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theatre Group. Under his leadership, OCP has also established the American Repertoire Program, a commitment to produce an American work in each of 10 seasons starting in 2012, featuring new works by Nico Muhly, Kevin Puts, Jennifer Higdon and Theo Morrison. OCP has also achieved a balanced financial position and received major national grants to fund institutional capitalization. A native of Canada, Devan attended Brock University in Ontario and Stanford University's Graduate School of Business Executive Program.

Allen R. Freedman Allen Freedman graduated from Tufts University in 1961 and from the University of Virginia Law School in 1964. He also attended New York University Graduate School of Business, studying accounting and banking. In 2000, Freedman was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. Freedman founded Assurant Inc in 1978 and retired as CEO in 2000. He has also been a private equity investor since the 1970s. He previously served as chair of the Board for two public companies, Systems and Computer Technology Corp. and Indus, Inc. He has served as chair of the audit committee of two public companies, currently chairing the audit committee of Stonemor, MLP. He is designated as a “financial expert” by the Stonemor Board for the purposes of the audit committee. At Eaton Vance and Assurant, he is a member of the finance and portfolio management committees, which deal with investment policy and implementation. Freedman and his wife co-founded the annual Freedman Prizes at Hartwick College, which are intended to dramatically reposition the focus of this small liberal arts college in Oneonta, NY. In 2009-2010, over 30 student-faulty fellowships were awarded to stimulate undergraduate/tenured faculty participation in the undergraduate learning experience.

Jake Heggie is the American composer of the acclaimed operas Moby-Dick, Dead Man Walking, Three Decembers, The End of the Affair and To Hell and Back, as well as the stage works For a Look or a Touch and At the Statue of Venus. The recipient of a 2005-2006 Guggenheim Fellowship, he has also composed more than 200 songs, as well as concerti, chamber music, choral and orchestral works. His songs, song cycles and operas are championed internationally by many of the most celebrated singers of our time, including Isabel Bayrakdarian, Joyce Castle, Stephen Costello, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Ben Heppner, Kristine Jepson, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Kiri Te Kanawa and Bryn Terfel, to name a few. The operas - most of them created with the distinguished writers Terrence McNally and Gene Scheer — have been produced internationally on five continents. Since its San Francisco premiere in 2000, Dead Man Walking has received more than 150 international performances. Moby-Dick, which recently received its 2010 world premiere in Dallas, was commissioned by The Dallas Opera with San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, State Opera of South Australia and Calgary Opera. Upcoming projects include songs commissioned by Carnegie Hall, The Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, as well as "Ahab" Symphony, commissioned by University of North Texas at Denton, where Heggie will be guest artist-in-residence during the 2010/11 academic year.

Andreas Mitisek has been the artistic and general director of Long Beach Opera since 2003. There he has conducted a number of productions including Elektra, Bluebeard's Castle, Volo di Notte by Dallapiccola, Jenůfa and The Ring of the Nibelung. He is also increasingly sought after as a guest conductor in North America, leading productions for Seattle Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Vancouver Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater and Yale Opera. A native of Austria, he served as music director of the Wiener Operntheater from 1990-1997, which earned critical and popular acclaim as the foremost contemporary opera company in Austria presenting the world premiere of The Eternal Triangle Trio by Farber, the Austrian premieres and Viennese premieres of Der Reigen by Boesmans, Der Revisor by W. Egk, Oedipe by Enescu, Le Grand Macabre by Ligeti, The Second Mrs. Kong by Birtwistle, Das Schloss by Reimann, Nixon in China by Adams, Death in Venice by Britten and The Devils of Loudon by Penderecki.