Garnett Bruce continues to stage productions for leading national and international houses. He returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago as associate director for Frank Corsaro's staging of La Traviata with Elizabeth Futral and Ren´e Fleming. His 2007-08 season begins with Kentucky Opera's Turandot, followed by Tosca in Cleveland, Die Zauberflöte in Kansas City and Aida for San Diego Opera. Mr. Bruce serves as the Opera Stage Director on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, where he makes his home. At Peabody, he has directed Abduction from the Seraglio, the world premiere of Thomas Benjamin's The Alien Corn (after the short story by Somerset Maugham), and Les Contes d'Hoffmann. This season includes The Turn of the Screw and a revised version of Kathryn Reid's The Yellow Wallpaper.
Highlights from his past seasons include: Turandot to open the 2006 season at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Orfeo ed Euridice for the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Tosca (Opera Pacific, Houston, Denver), Turandot (Cleveland, Dallas, San Francisco), Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Utah Opera, a new production of La Cenerentola for Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Wolf Trap Opera, Samuel Barber's Vanessa for San Diego Opera, and Francesca Zambello's productions of Madama Butterfly (Houston, Opera Pacific, Pittsburgh) and Jenufa (Dallas, San Francisco). He made his European debut staging the David Hockney production of Turandot for Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Italy. His summers have included a long relationship with the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he serves on the directing staff. He has also served on the directing staffs of the Santa Fe, Dallas, Houston Grand, San Diego, Washington and San Francisco operas, working under such directors as Francesca Zambello, Bruce Beresford, John Copley, Lotfi Mansouri, John Cox, Stephen Lawless and Nathaniel Merrill. In the spring and summer of 2007, Mr. Bruce was associate director for Ms. Zambello's production of Porgy & Bess (Los Angeles) and assisted Sandra Bernhard for the revival of Der Rosenkavalier (San Francisco).
Mr. Bruce began his musical training as a choirboy at the Washington National Cathedral and subsequently earned internships with Harold Prince for his 1990 production of Faust at the Metropolitan Opera and with Leonard Bernstein for his performances and recording of Candide. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Drama from Tufts University, and also currently serves on the Board of Directors for FBN Productions (Opera for Kids).
Photograph by Cory Weaver