Thor Steingraber
Encyclopedia
Thor Steingraber is an American opera director.
Steingraber has been directing operas for fifteen years, and his work has been seen in cities across America, from New York's Lincoln Center to the San Francisco Opera. He has also directed in Asia (the Hong Kong Arts Festival
) and will make his European debut in 2010 in Barcelona. He has directed 400 years of operatic repertoire in five languages, but is particularly known for his renderings of Mozart's operas (Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Austin, Memphis, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, New York, and Pittsburgh).
Steingraber's multi-disciplinary collaborations range from young painters at the Chicago
arts magnet school to designers like Maurice Sendak
and David Hockney
. In recent years, Thor's work has turned to Wagner—in Los Angeles and San Francisco he directed Tristan und Isolde
, and in Chicago, he was the Associate Director of Wagner's Ring Cycle, starring Plácido Domingo
. He also works for Mr. Domingo at the Los Angeles Opera
, the company that has been Steingraber's artistic home for fourteen years.
Since 2002, Steingraber has been teaching singers in universities and conservatories, including the Curtis Institute, Yale University
School of Music and California State University where he was Distinguished Guest Artist in 2008. Steingraber teaches acting and scene-work, with an emphasis on character development employing a broad range of analytic processes.
Steingraber is a writer. His recent articles can be seen in The Boston Globe
and Inside Arts. He also wrote Canta Luna, a play about Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca who was executed in the early days of the Spanish Civil War. Canta Luna was produced at the Boston Court Theater in Pasadena, California in 2006.
In 2008 and 2009, Steingraber was in residence at John F. Kennedy School of Government
at Harvard University
. He was the Mid Career Fellow for Arts, Culture and Media at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
. He also received a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard's Kennedy School, focusing on the management of nonprofit organizations and the intersection of public policy and the arts. For his work at the Kennedy School, he was awarded the annual Littauer award.
His own management experiences began with founding an inner-city youth theater program in conjunction with the San Francisco YMCA. Later, he was Director of Production at the Utah Festival Opera
. Since its inception, Thor was responsible for planning and implementing the growth of the Festival, including the development of a new 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) production facility and the implementation of an OSHA safety program.
Steingraber has been directing operas for fifteen years, and his work has been seen in cities across America, from New York's Lincoln Center to the San Francisco Opera. He has also directed in Asia (the Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Arts Festival , founded in 1973, is a focus programmes for the Culture of Hong Kong, in order to provides a wide range of art programmes from all over the world....
) and will make his European debut in 2010 in Barcelona. He has directed 400 years of operatic repertoire in five languages, but is particularly known for his renderings of Mozart's operas (Santa Fe, Los Angeles, Austin, Memphis, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, New York, and Pittsburgh).
Steingraber's multi-disciplinary collaborations range from young painters at the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
arts magnet school to designers like Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
and David Hockney
David Hockney
David Hockney, CH, RA, is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, who is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire and Kensington, London....
. In recent years, Thor's work has turned to Wagner—in Los Angeles and San Francisco he directed Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
, and in Chicago, he was the Associate Director of Wagner's Ring Cycle, starring Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
. He also works for Mr. Domingo at the Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
, the company that has been Steingraber's artistic home for fourteen years.
Since 2002, Steingraber has been teaching singers in universities and conservatories, including the Curtis Institute, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
School of Music and California State University where he was Distinguished Guest Artist in 2008. Steingraber teaches acting and scene-work, with an emphasis on character development employing a broad range of analytic processes.
Steingraber is a writer. His recent articles can be seen in The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
and Inside Arts. He also wrote Canta Luna, a play about Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca who was executed in the early days of the Spanish Civil War. Canta Luna was produced at the Boston Court Theater in Pasadena, California in 2006.
In 2008 and 2009, Steingraber was in residence at John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He was the Mid Career Fellow for Arts, Culture and Media at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations
Hauser center for nonprofit organizations
The Harvard University Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, located in Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, promotes teaching, scholarship, and service to the nonprofit sector across the university. The Center's concerns include philanthropy, nonprofit organizations,...
. He also received a Masters in Public Administration at Harvard's Kennedy School, focusing on the management of nonprofit organizations and the intersection of public policy and the arts. For his work at the Kennedy School, he was awarded the annual Littauer award.
His own management experiences began with founding an inner-city youth theater program in conjunction with the San Francisco YMCA. Later, he was Director of Production at the Utah Festival Opera
Utah Festival Opera
The Utah Festival Opera is an opera company based in Logan, Utah. The company performs four fully staged works with orchestra in repertory every July and August at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Logan's Main Street...
. Since its inception, Thor was responsible for planning and implementing the growth of the Festival, including the development of a new 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) production facility and the implementation of an OSHA safety program.
Opera (directed)
- Tristan und IsoldeTristan und IsoldeTristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
at the Los Angeles Opera (2008) and the San Francisco OperaSan Francisco OperaSan Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
(2006) - I Capuleti e i MontecchiI Capuleti e i MontecchiI Capuleti e i Montecchi is an Italian opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini.The libretto by Felice Romani was a reworking of the story of Romeo and Juliet for an opera by Nicola Vaccai called Giulietta e Romeo. This was based on Italian sources rather than taken directly from Shakespeare...
at the Pittsburgh OperaPittsburgh OperaPittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
(2008), New York City OperaNew York City OperaThe New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
(2001), Minnesota OperaMinnesota OperaThe Minnesota Opera is a performance organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded in 1963 by the Walker Art Center, and is known for premiering such diverse works as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Frankenstein by Libby Larsen...
(2001) and Los Angeles Opera (1999) - Recovered Voices at the Los Angeles Opera (2007)
- La traviataLa traviataLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
at the Lyric Opera of ChicagoLyric Opera of ChicagoLyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
(2005), Palm Beach OperaPalm Beach OperaPalm Beach Opera, a professional opera company in West Palm Beach, Florida resident at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, was founded in 1961 as "Civic Opera of the Palm Beaches." Over its history, the company has presented a season of fully staged operas ranging from a single production...
(2004), Pittsburgh OperaPittsburgh OperaPittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
(2004) and Cincinnati OperaCincinnati OperaCincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:...
(2002) - Le nozze di Figaro at the Austin Lyric OperaAustin Lyric OperaAustin Lyric Opera, founded in 1986, is an internationally known opera company based in Austin, Texas.It also operates the Armstrong Community Music School....
(2005), Santa Fe OperaSanta Fe OperaThe Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
(2000) and Los Angeles Opera (1997) - JenůfaJenufaJenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
at the Utah Symphony and Opera (2005) - ElektraElektra (opera)Elektra is a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. The opera was the first of many collaborations between Strauss and Hofmannsthal...
at the Pittsburgh OperaPittsburgh OperaPittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
(2003) - Don GiovanniDon GiovanniDon Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
at the New York City OperaNew York City OperaThe New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
(2002), Opera PacificOpera PacificOpera Pacific was an opera company located in the Orange County, California, United States city of Santa Ana. It operated for 22 seasons before closing in 2008 after several seasons of deepening financial difficulties.-History:...
(2002) and Pittsburgh OperaPittsburgh OperaPittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
(2001) - NabuccoNabuccoNabucco is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Temistocle Solera, based on the Biblical story and the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornue...
at the Los Angeles Opera (2002) and Houston Grand OperaHouston Grand OperaHouston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
(2000) - BrundibarBrundibárBrundibár is a children's opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása with a libretto by Adolf Hoffmeister, originally performed by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp in occupied Czechoslovakia...
at the Chicago Opera TheaterChicago Opera TheaterThe Chicago Opera Theater is an opera company that was founded as the Chicago Opera Studio in 1974 by Alan Stone to give vocal students performance experience, although it has grown into a professional opera company...
(2002) - La CenerentolaLa CenerentolaLa Cenerentola, ossia La bontà in trionfo is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the fairy tale Cinderella...
at the Pittsburgh OperaPittsburgh OperaPittsburgh Opera is an American opera company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two opera companies in the city, the other being Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Opera gives performances in several venues, primarily at the Benedum Center, with other performances at the...
(2002), Los Angeles Opera (2000) and the Hong Kong Arts FestivalHong Kong Arts FestivalHong Kong Arts Festival , founded in 1973, is a focus programmes for the Culture of Hong Kong, in order to provides a wide range of art programmes from all over the world....
(2001) - ToscaToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
at the Lyric Opera Kansas City (2001) and Utah Festival OperaUtah Festival OperaThe Utah Festival Opera is an opera company based in Logan, Utah. The company performs four fully staged works with orchestra in repertory every July and August at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on Logan's Main Street...
(1997) - Lucia di LammermoorLucia di LammermoorLucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
at the Santa Fe OperaSanta Fe OperaThe Santa Fe Opera is an American opera company, located north of Santa Fe in the U.S. state of New Mexico, headquartered on a former guest ranch of .-General history:...
(2001) - Madama ButterflyMadama ButterflyMadama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
at the Utah Symphony and Opera (2001) - Noye's FluddeNoye's FluddeNoye's Fludde is an early 15th century mystery play from the Chester Mystery Cycle. It was set to music by Benjamin Britten in 1957 based on an edition by Alfred W. Pollard...
at the Chicago Opera TheaterChicago Opera TheaterThe Chicago Opera Theater is an opera company that was founded as the Chicago Opera Studio in 1974 by Alan Stone to give vocal students performance experience, although it has grown into a professional opera company...
(2001) - FidelioFidelioFidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
at the Utah Symphony and Opera (1999) - Così fan tutteCosì fan tutteCosì fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti K. 588, is an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte....
at Opera MemphisOpera MemphisOpera Memphis is a non-profit arts organization in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1956 in conjunction with the founding of WKNO-FM, the local public radio affiliate....
(1993) and Indianapolis OperaIndianapolis OperaThe only professional opera company in Indiana, the ' hosts three fully staged productions a season in addition to supporting a Young Artist Program and various local events...
(1994) - Zémire et AzorZémire et AzorZémire et Azor is an opéra comique, described as a comédie-ballet mêlée de chants et de danses, in four acts by the Belgian composer André Grétry, The French text was by Jean François Marmontel based on La Belle et la bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, and Amour pour amour by P. C....
at Opera MemphisOpera MemphisOpera Memphis is a non-profit arts organization in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1956 in conjunction with the founding of WKNO-FM, the local public radio affiliate....
(1994)
External links
- Official web site
- Biography, The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, John F. Kennedy School of Government