Ian Campbell (opera director)
Encyclopedia
Ian David Campbell is an Australia
n-born opera singer, stage director, administrator, radio broadcaster and writer. He has been the General Director and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera
since 1983.
Campbell was born in Brisbane
, grew up in Townsville, graduated of the University of Sydney
, and holds the designations of Fellow, and Certified Professional Manager, from the Australian Institute of Management
.
He began his operatic career in 1967 as a principal character tenor with the Australian Opera (now known as Opera Australia
), retiring from singing in 1974 following the first season in the Sydney Opera House
. He moved into management as Senior Music Officer for the Australia Council
from 1974 to 1976, and was General Manager of the State Opera of South Australia in Adelaide
from 1976 to 1982. In 1982 he joined the Metropolitan Opera
in New York as Assistant Artistic Administrator, and in July 1983 became General Director and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera.
His stage directing credits include La bohème
(1981) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1982) for the State Opera of South Australia; Cavalleria rusticana
and Pagliacci
for Santa Barbara Grand Opera (1999). For San Diego Opera he has staged Falstaff
(1999), Il trovatore
(2000), Tosca
(2002), Katya Kabanova (2004) with Patricia Racette
, La traviata
(2004) with Anja Harteros
singing her first Violetta, La bohème (2005) with Richard Leech, and Don Quichotte
(2009) with Ferruccio Furlanetto
and Denyce Graves
.
Campbell is a past Chairman of Opera America
. He was a Guest Professor of Music at San Diego State University
in 1986, conducted annual master classes for singers at the Music Academy of the West
in Santa Barbara for seven years, and chaired the judging panel for the Metropolitan Opera
auditions in the Sydney Opera House
in Australia in August 1989.
He was the San Diego Press Club Headliner of the Year for the Arts in 1991, and in 1997 was chosen as one of the Fathers of the Year for San Diego. In 2004 he received The University of Sydney’s prestigious James Wolfensohn Award for “the betterment of society and his profession.”
For 20 years Campbell produced and hosted programs on San Diego radio, and in 2003 his program “At the Opera with Ian Campbell” was awarded both First Place for a Radio Series, and Best of Show for Radio by the San Diego Press Club.
He and his wife Ann live in Point Loma and have two sons, Benjamin and David.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n-born opera singer, stage director, administrator, radio broadcaster and writer. He has been the General Director and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera
San Diego Opera
The San Diego Opera Association is a professional opera company located in the city of San Diego, California and is a member of OPERA America. It was founded in 1950 to present productions by San Francisco Opera in the San Diego area...
since 1983.
Campbell was born in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, grew up in Townsville, graduated of the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, and holds the designations of Fellow, and Certified Professional Manager, from the Australian Institute of Management
Australian Institute of Management
The Australian Institute of Management is Australia's largest professional body for managers. The sole purpose of AIM is to promote the advancement of education and learning in the field of management and leadership for commerce, industry and government. It is not for profit entity with branches...
.
He began his operatic career in 1967 as a principal character tenor with the Australian Opera (now known as Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
), retiring from singing in 1974 following the first season in the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. He moved into management as Senior Music Officer for the Australia Council
Australia Council
The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.-Function:...
from 1974 to 1976, and was General Manager of the State Opera of South Australia in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
from 1976 to 1982. In 1982 he joined the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York as Assistant Artistic Administrator, and in July 1983 became General Director and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera.
His stage directing credits include La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
(1981) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1982) for the State Opera of South Australia; Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana
Cavalleria rusticana is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from a play written by Giovanni Verga based on his short story. Considered one of the classic verismo operas, it premiered on May 17, 1890 at the Teatro...
and Pagliacci
Pagliacci
Pagliacci , sometimes incorrectly rendered with a definite article as I Pagliacci, is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. It recounts the tragedy of a jealous husband in a commedia dell'arte troupe...
for Santa Barbara Grand Opera (1999). For San Diego Opera he has staged Falstaff
Falstaff (opera)
Falstaff is an operatic commedia lirica in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, adapted by Arrigo Boito from Shakespeare's plays The Merry Wives of Windsor and scenes from Henry IV. It was Verdi's last opera, written in the composer's ninth decade, and only the second of his 26 operas to be a comedy...
(1999), Il trovatore
Il trovatore
Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play El Trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. Cammarano died in mid-1852 before completing the libretto...
(2000), Tosca
Tosca
Tosca 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...
(2002), Katya Kabanova (2004) with Patricia Racette
Patricia Racette
Patricia Lynn Racette is an American operatic soprano. A winner of the Richard Tucker Award in 1998, she has been a regular presence at major opera houses internationally. Racette has enjoyed long-term partnerships with the San Francisco Opera, where she has been a regular performer since 1989,...
, La traviata
La traviata
La 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...
(2004) with Anja Harteros
Anja Harteros
Anja Harteros is a German operatic soprano. In 1999, she became the first German to win the Cardiff Singer of the World competition -Biography:...
singing her first Violetta, La bohème (2005) with Richard Leech, and Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte
Don Quichotte is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Caïn.Massenet's comédie-héroïque, like so many other dramatized versions of the story of Don Quixote, relates only indirectly to the great novel by Miguel de Cervantes...
(2009) with Ferruccio Furlanetto
Ferruccio Furlanetto
Ferruccio Furlanetto is an Italian bass. His professional debut was in 1979 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, in a production of Verdi's Macbeth, conducted by Claudio Abbado...
and Denyce Graves
Denyce Graves
Denyce Graves is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer.-Early life:Graves was born on March 7, 1964, to Charles Graves and Dorothy Graves-Kenner. She is the middle of three children and was raised by her mother on Galveston Street, S.W., in the Bellevue section of Washington...
.
Campbell is a past Chairman of Opera America
Opera America
Opera America, officially OPERA America, is a service organization in North America promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera...
. He was a Guest Professor of Music at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
in 1986, conducted annual master classes for singers at the Music Academy of the West
Music Academy of the West
The Music Academy of the West is a music conservatory located in Montecito, California near Santa Barbara, California. Every year, it hosts a summer music festival for the community highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composers, conductors, and artists.A yearly maximum of 135...
in Santa Barbara for seven years, and chaired the judging panel for the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
auditions in the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
in Australia in August 1989.
He was the San Diego Press Club Headliner of the Year for the Arts in 1991, and in 1997 was chosen as one of the Fathers of the Year for San Diego. In 2004 he received The University of Sydney’s prestigious James Wolfensohn Award for “the betterment of society and his profession.”
For 20 years Campbell produced and hosted programs on San Diego radio, and in 2003 his program “At the Opera with Ian Campbell” was awarded both First Place for a Radio Series, and Best of Show for Radio by the San Diego Press Club.
He and his wife Ann live in Point Loma and have two sons, Benjamin and David.