David Pountney became internationally known through his production of Katya Kabanova at the 1972 Wexford Festival. Between 1975-80, David Pountney was Director of Production for Scottish Opera.  His productions there featured a Janacek cycle in collaboration with Welsh National Opera of Jenufa, House of the Dead, The Makropulos Case, Katya Kabanova and The Cunning Little Vixen. He produced the world première of David Blake's Toussaint in 1977 at English National Opera and went on to become Director of Productions in 1980, directing over twenty operas including Rusalka, Osud, The Midsummer Marriage, Doctor Faust, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Hansel and Gretel, The Adventures of Mr Broucek and The Fairy Queen.

He has directed over ten world premieres, including three by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies for which he also wrote the libretto, and has translated many operas into English from Russian, Czech, German and Italian.

As a freelance Director from 1992 he has worked regularly in Zürich, at the Vienna State Opera, at the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich as well as opera houses in America and Japan, and in the UK has a long-standing association with Opera North. He received a Janacek medal for his Janacek cycle in Wales and Scotland, and a Martinu medal for his productions of Julietta and Greek Passion at Opera North and the Bregenz Festival. His productions have twice won an Olivier award. He recently directed Die Soldaten for the Ruhr Festival, Die Frau ohne Schatten in Zurich, and König Roger and Die Passagierin for the Bregenz Festival where he has been Intendant since December 2003.  He has been appointed Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Welsh National Opera from 1st September, 2011.

Recent engagements include Les Troyens at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin, Weinberg’s The Portrait  for Opera North, Un Ballo in Maschera in Zurich, King Roger in Warsaw and Kommilitonen – his third opera written in collaboration with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, which was premiered at the Royal Academy of Music in London in March 2011 and will be revived at the Juilliard School in New York in November 2011. Other plans include a revival of The Passenger at English National Opera, and new productions of Il Trittico in Lyon and Prince Igor in Zürich.
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David Pountney was made a CBE and a Chevalier in the French Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1993.

2011/12