Omer Ben Seadia
Israeli director Omer Ben Seadia has been establishing herself as one of the fresh new voices in opera. After working for the Israeli Opera for over a decade, Ms. Ben Seadia moved to the United States in 2012 to begin her international directing career. With a varied repertoire spanning from the operatic canon to world premieres, her work has continuously been committed to creating relevant and thoughtful productions that are socially conscious. Ms Ben Seadia’s upcoming projects include L’enfant et les sortilèges for the Philadelphia Orchestra, La clemenza di Tito for Boston University and Thumbprint for Chautauqua Opera.
Her recent productions include: a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos at Cincinnati Opera; Tosca at Hawaii Opera Theatre; Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Colorado; Elektra at the Canadian Opera Company (associate director); Idomeneo at Wolf Trap Opera; Yardbird at Atlanta Opera; Amahl and the Night Visitors with Philadelphia Orchestra; 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 by Gerald Cohen and Deborah Brevoort at Opera Colorado; the Apprentice Scenes Program at Santa Fe Opera; 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. This past season, Ms. Ben Seadia acted as director and dramaturge for Utah Opera’s Golden Spike, a short opera initiative for new commissioned operas celebrating the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad.
Ms. Ben Seadia grew up in the theater and fell in love with opera when she performed in her first opera at the age of 15. She is deeply committed to the development and training of young artists, and has been on staff for the Studio and Young Artist Vocal Academy (YAVA) at Houston Grand Opera, the Merola Opera Program, the International Vocal Arts Institute, the Canadian Vocal Academy Institute, and the Aspen Music Festival, where she will be returning this summer.
She completed the prestigious opera directing program at the Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music in 2014, and was named Apprentice Stage Director at the Merola Opera Program in 2014, where she directed the Merola Grand Finale on the main stage of the San Francisco Opera. Ms Ben Seadia is also a graduate of Seminar Hakibutzim, School of Performing Arts with a degree in theater directing as well as a teaching degree in theater education.
