Michael Cavanagh Opera producer
Michael Cavanagh is one of Canada's most versatile and popular opera interpreters. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Hamburg, Germany.
He served as Artistic Director of Edmonton Opera from 1998 to 2001.
Highlights of the 2009-2010 season include a return to Kentucky Opera to direct Of Mice and Men, Tosca at L'Opéra de Montréal and a return to Vancouver Opera for Nixon in China.He has directed scores of productions for every professional opera company in Canada, including Vancouver Opera (L'Italiana in Algieri, Carmen, The Rake's Progress, La Bohème, Daughter of the Regiment, Don Giovanni, and Madama Butterfly), Edmonton Opera (La Traviata, Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, La Traviata, La Bohème, and The Rake's Progress), Opera Lyra Ottawa (La Fille du Regiment, Un ballo in Maschera and The Pearl Fishers), L'Opéra de Montréal (Turandot, Madame Butterfly), Manitoba Opera (Il Trovatore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Cavalleria Rusticana, and I Pagliacci), Calgary Opera (Tosca, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, La Traviata and La Cenerentola) and Opera Hamilton (Die Zauberflöte).
He has also directed many productions in the United States, including new productions and return engagements at Minnesota Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre and Arizona Opera. Of his new production of The Rake's Progress at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera News remarked "Michael Cavanagh's staging brought new depth to an opera that can be reduced to cartoon characters." He has also directed successful productions for Austin Lyric Opera, Tulsa Opera and numerous others.
A recent highlight of Mr. Cavanagh's career was his 2006 Covent Garden debut, directing a new chamber opera, The Midnight Court. He has developed and staged many new pieces, such as James Rolfe's and George Elliot Clark's acclaimed Beatrice Chancy for The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company in Toronto. As a librettist Mr. Cavanagh has enjoyed critical and popular success with the productions of seven of his own operas.
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