David Alden

Biography

One of the world’s most influential and prolific directors of opera, David Alden received the prestigious ‘South Bank Show Award’ for his production of Britten Peter Grimes. He has won two Olivier Awards to date, including in 2018 for his production of Rossini Semiramide for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and in 2009 for Janácek Jenůfa at English National Opera. He also received the ‘Bavarian Theatre Prize for Individual Artistic Achievement’, marking a long time relationship with the Bavarian State Opera.

Highlights of the 2020/21 season include Katya Kabanova for the Canadian Opera Company and Ariodante for The Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow. Most recently, he has directed Otello for Washington National Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, Jenůfa for the Santa Fe Opera and La Calisto at the Teatro Real, Madrid.

Operatic highlights include new productions of Rossini Semiramide for Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Wagner Lohengrin for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Meyerbeer Les Huguenots for Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Catalani Loreley for the Stadttheater St Gallen, and revivals of his acclaimed Verdi Otello at the Teatro Real, Billy Budd at the Bolshoi Theatre, marking his house debut, and Alcina for Santa Fe Opera. Other work includes Alcina at the Teatro Real, Rossini Maometto II for Canadian Opera Company and a return to English National Opera for a new productions of Verdi Otello and The Queen of Spades and a revival of his award winning Janácek Jenůfa, Un ballo in maschera at the Metropolitan Opera, New York and a series of Verdi operas at Hamburg State Opera: La battaglia di Legnano, I due Foscari and I Lombardi alla prima crociata.

During the 2006 Munich Opera Festival, the Bavarian State Opera celebrated their association with David by showcasing his productions of Ariodante, La Callisto, La forza del Destino, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Orlando, Rinaldo, Rodelinda and Tannhäuser. Other productions in Munich have included Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, The Queen of Spades, Lulu, La donna del lago, and Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Together with his brother Christopher Alden, he also directed semi-staged productions of the three Mozart/Da Ponte operas with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Sought after by the world’s opera houses, David has directed operas with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Cologne Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Vienna Volksoper, Graz Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, New Israeli Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, and American Music Theatre Festival.

His productions of Thomas Adès Powder her Face for Aldeburgh Festival, Ariodante for ENO, and Rodelinda, Rinaldo and Tannhäuser for Bavarian State Opera are all available on film. Film and television credits include a version of Schubert Die Winterreise with Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake, Weill Die Siebe Todsünden, Welsh National Opera’s production of L’incoronazione di Poppea, and a documentary on Verdi for BBC Television. He also directed a world concert tour for the Pet Shop Boys.