(Winnipeg, Canada)
2015–16 Season: Director of Lucia di Lammermoor and Svadba-Wedding
Michael Cavanagh’s most recent work at San Francisco Opera was Susannah (2014). He made his San Francisco Opera debut with Nixon in China in 2012, a production he also directed at Vancouver Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and, most recently, in Dublin, Ireland. Recent career highlights include a return to Minnesota Opera to direct Manon Lescaut, Tosca at Austin Lyric Opera, and L’Italiana in Algeri with Calgary Opera. Former artistic director of Edmonton Opera, he has directed productions throughout his native Canada, including at Vancouver Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Montreal Opera, Manitoba Opera, Calgary Opera, and Opera Hamilton. He has also directed many productions in the United States, including new productions and return engagements at Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Arizona Opera, Tulsa Opera, and many others. Cavanagh made his Covent Garden debut in 2006, directing a new chamber opera, The Midnight Court. He has developed and staged many new pieces, and he is in high demand as a dramaturg. As a librettist, Cavanagh has enjoyed critical and popular success with seven of his own operas. Recent and upcoming highlights include a return to Lyric Opera of Kansas City for L’Italiana in Algeri, a new production of Carmen at Minnesota Opera, and a debut at the Royal Swedish Opera with Nixon in China.