Eric Einhorn

Stage Director

Lauded by the Austin Chronicle as “a rising star in the opera world” and praised by Opera News for his “keen eye for detail and character insight” for which “the result was a seamless, gripping flow,” director Eric Einhorn makes debuts with Utah Opera for Fidelio, Florentine Opera for Turandot (2011), and Fort Worth Opera for Le nozze di Figaro in the 2011-12 season.  He also returns to the Metropolitan Opera to stage Hänsel und Gretel as well as to the company’s director roster for new production of Anna Bolena and Manon along with Billy Budd and Ernani.  Additionally, his upcoming engagements include his debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.  Last season, he reprised Dialogues des Carmélites in a return to Pittsburgh Opera, created a new production of Carmen for the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival, and returned to the Metropolitan Opera new productions of Adams’ Nixon in China and Boris Godunov and the revival of Lucia di Lammermoor, both in the house and on tour to Japan. 

His recent direction of Dialogues des Carmélites for Austin Lyric Opera was a resounding triumph and was awarded “Best Opera” at the Austin Critics’ Table Awards in addition to garnering him a nomination for “Best Director.”  His other recent projects include Carmen with Pittsburgh Opera as well as Don Pasquale and Xerxes for the company’s Opera Center, Alcina and Così fan tutte for Wolf Trap Opera, Orpheus in the Underworld for Glimmerglass Opera, Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Vanished for Gotham Chamber Opera, Hans Krása’s Brundibár for Michigan Opera Theatre, staged concerts of Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna and Weill’s Royal Palace for the Bard Music Festival, Cosi fan tutte for Florida Grand Opera outreach, Douglas Moore’s Gallantry for New York University, as well as Oedipus the King for Klasikos Theater in Pittsburgh. Mr. Einhorn has served on the directing staff of the Metropolitan Opera since 2005, collaborating upon numerous new productions including two world premieres, Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy and Tan Dun’s The First Emperor, as well as Shostakovich’s The Nose and Janáček’s From the House of the Dead.

He is the former resident stage director for Great Music for a Great City at the City University of New York Graduate Center where he staged additional performances of Brundibár and The Medium. A proponent of Holocaust art, Mr. Einhorn has directed several pieces on the subject including Adam Silverman’s Korczak’s Orphans (co-director of the world premiere staging) with Real Time Opera, a reading of Jo Ellen Hubert’s While Childhood Slept with the Holmdel Theatre Company, and Der Kaiser von Atlantis at Oberlin College. In addition, he has served as resident stage director for the Music at Hillwood concert series at the Tilles Center of Long Island University.

Mr. Einhorn is past winner of the National Opera Association’s scholarly paper competition and is a frequent contributor of book reviews to the NOA’s Opera Journal. He has recently joined the adjunct music faculty of Ramapo College of New Jersey.  He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Opera Directing & Voice Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.