Francesca Zambello

Francesca Zambello, March 2012

Francesca Zambello (born August 24, 1956) is an American opera and theatre director. She serves as director of the Glimmerglass Opera and the Washington National Opera.

Early life and education

Born in New York City, Zambello lived in Europe when she was a child, learning to speak French, Italian, German and Russian. Zambello is of Italian descent, the daughter of Jean (née Sincere), an actress and Charles C. Zambello, a former actor[1][2] who became head of flight entertainment at TWA.[3] She attended Moscow University in 1976 and graduated from Colgate University in 1978.

Career

An internationally recognized director of opera and theater, Francesca Zambello's American debut took place at the Houston Grand Opera with a production of Fidelio in 1984. She began her career as an assistant director to Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. From 1984 until 1991 she was the artistic director of the Skylight Music Theater. She debuted in Europe at Teatro La Fenice in Venice with Beatrice di Tenda in 1987 and has since staged new productions at major theaters and opera houses in Europe and the USA.

Zambello has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for her contribution to French culture and the Russian Federation's Medal for Service to Culture. Other honors for her work include three Olivier Awards from the London Society of Theaters and two Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical and Best Opera. She has also received the award for Best Company Achievement. The French Grand Prix des Critiques was awarded to her twice for her work at the Paris Opera. Other awards include Best Production in Japan, the Palme d'Or in Germany, the Golden Mask in Russia and the Helpmann Award in Australia.

Zambello developed and directed the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis' Heart of a Soldier for the San Francisco Opera, where she served as artistic advisor from 2006 til 2011. Other opera projects have included the first international production of Carmen to ever be presented at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the world premiere of An American Tragedy, Cyrano and Les Troyens for the Metropolitan Opera, Carmen and Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House, Boris Godunov, War and Peace, Billy Budd and William Tell at the Paris Opera, and Der Ring des Nibelungen for the San Francisco Opera.

Theater projects have included Show Boat in London at the Royal Albert Hall; a new musical, Rebecca, for Vienna's Raimund Theater, Stuttgart's Palladium Theater (presented by Stage Entertainment), and in St. Gallen, Switzerland; Tibet Through the Red Box, a new play by David Henry Hwang for the Seattle Children's Theatre; The Little Prince with Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman; Napoleon in the West End; The Little Mermaid for Disney on Broadway; the musical of The Little House on the Prairie and The Master Butchers at the Guthrie Theater, and Aladdin in Disneyland.

Other works have included a film of Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors for BBC Television, as well as a new film for the BBC, Sony and PBS of The Little Prince, and, West Side Story for the floating stage at the Bregenzer Festspiele.

Zambello has served as a guest professor at Yale University and The Juilliard School. She is the Artistic & General Director of Glimmerglass in Cooperstown, and the Artist Director of the Washington National Opera. She has been guest professor at Harvard and Berkeley Universities.

Zambello lives in New York and London.[4] Zambello is openly lesbian.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Joe Novak, Something to Do with Wings: A Memoir iUniverse.com (2010), p. 287. Retrieved October 16, 2011
  2. ↑ Ronald Blum, "After the scandal: Francesca Zambello's career takes off following Met fiasco" The Dedham Transcript (July 31, 2004). Retrieved October 16, 2011
  3. ↑ "Entertainment Branch Set Up" Spokane Daily Chronicle (UPI) (January 4, 1965). Retrieved October 16, 2011
  4. ↑ "Francesca Zambello - Director - Bio". October 9, 2012.
  5. ↑ Harris, Paul (June 20, 2000). "Alive and singing". The Advocate.

External links