Opera San José - Olivia Stapp

ARTISTS

Olivia Stapp,
Stage Director

Olivia Stapp returns to Opera San José to direct the 2006 - 2007 productions of La traviata and Madama Butterfly. Ms. Stapp, who received accolades for her stage direction of OSJ's production of The Flying Dutchman in the 2004 - 2005 season, made her directorial debut with the company premiere of Manon in the 2001 - 2002 season. Olivia Stapp's recent directorial credits include Lucia di Lammermoor, Werther, Madama Butterfly, and Sir Peter Brook's adaptation of Bizet's masterpiece, The Tragedy of Carmen, all for Festival Opera of Walnut Creek for which she serves as Artistic Director. Ms. Stapp has also directed Donizetti's one-act opera Rita for the Camera de Opera of Berkeley.

Prior to becoming a director, Ms. Stapp received the Fulbright Scholarship for vocal and theatre study. After winning the La Scala Competition for Young Singers, she took on a position as a permanent artist at the Berlin Deutsche Opera, performing leading roles in such operas as Orpheo, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, and Don Carlo. After taking time off to raise her son, Ms. Stapp returned to the stage as a dramatic soprano, performing leading roles in Tosca, Elektra, Lady Macbeth, Turandot, Nabucco, Salome, Anna Bolena and Norma in major theatres throughout Europe and the United States.

When she is not directing at Festival Opera, Ms. Stapp is in great demand as a guest director and leader of master classes nationwide due to her extensive knowledge of the operatic repertoire and insight into character portrayal.

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