OMER BEN SEADIA

Israeli director Omer Ben Seadia is known for her inventive, thoughtful, and socially conscious productions. While garnering a name for herself in the classic repertoire, she has also won praise for developing and promoting new opera all over the world. Ms. Ben Seadia’s upcoming projects include a world premiere production of The Snowy Day (Joel Thompson, Andrea Davis Pinkney) at Houston Grand Opera, The Magic Flute at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, The Merry Widow at Calgary Opera, Thumbprint (Kamala Sankaram, Susan Yankowitz) at Chautauqua Opera, Tosca at Utah Opera, Agrippina at The Shepherd School of Music (Rice University), and Rigoletto at Florentine Opera.

Recent productions include: Carmen at Cincinnati Opera, Rodelinda at Aspen Music Festival, La tragèdie de Carmen at Utah Opera; Ariadne auf Naxos at Cincinnati Opera; Tosca at Hawaii Opera Theatre; Il barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Colorado; Elektra at Canadian Opera Company (Associate Director); Idomeneo at Wolf Trap Opera; Yardbird at Atlanta Opera; Amahl and the Night Visitors with the Philadelphia Orchestra; The Golden Spike (Dramaturg and Director) at Utah Opera, La bohème at Opera Santa Barbara; a double bill of Tom Cipullo’s Josephine and After Life at Opera Colorado; the world premiere of Steal a Pencil for Me (Gerald Cohen, Deborah Brevoort) at Opera Colorado; Faust at Tulsa Opera; L’italiana in Algeri at Opera Santa Barbara; Considering Matthew Shepard - a fusion oratorio by Craig Hella Johnson in collaboration with Cincinnati Opera and the Vocal Arts Ensemble; Pursuing the Dream, Let’s Cook up an Opera at Cincinnati Opera; Surviving the Amazing Opera Race at Dayton Opera; L’elisir d’amore at Naples Opera; a double bill of Der Kaiser von Atlantis and Brundibar with Cincinnati Chamber Opera as part of the Theresienstadt Opera Project; the Schwabacher Concert at the Merola Opera Program; Don Pasquale, Le Docteur Miracle, Saint John’s Passion, and Don Carlos at Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; Così fan tutte at the University of Michigan; Roméo et Juliette at the International Vocal Arts Institute; The Sound of Music at Crested Butte Music Festival; The Coffee Cantata with Barrocade Orchestra; and The Golden Vanity with the Cincinnati Boychoir.

Ms. Ben Seadia began working extensively in the United States in 2012 after over a decade with the Israeli Opera. She grew up in the theater and fell in love with opera when she performed in her first production at the age of 15. She is deeply committed to the development and training of young artists, and has worked with young artists at the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Young Artist Vocal Academy (YAVA), the Ryan Opera Center (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Santa Fe Opera, the Merola Opera Program, Rice University, the International Vocal Arts Institute (IVAI), the Canadian Vocal Academy Institute (CVAC), the Aspen Music Festival, and the Dandelion Opera Institute.

She completed the prestigious opera directing program at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and was an Apprentice Stage Director at the Merola Opera Program. Ms. Ben Seadia is also a graduate of Seminar Ha’kibutzim, School of Performing Arts, with a degree in theater directing, as well as a teaching degree in theater education.