BRUNO RAVELLA

OPERA DIRECTOR

BRUNO RAVELLA

OPERA DIRECTOR

ABOUT

Bruno Ravella is an international opera director based in London. Born in Casablanca, Morocco, of Italian and Polish parents, Bruno Ravella studied in France then moved to London in 1991 upon graduation.

Ravella has recently directed Ariadne auf Naxos at Garsington Opera (summer 2023). This is his fourth production there, following Der Rosenkavalier (2021), a co-production with Irish National Opera (2023) and Santa Fe Opera (2024), Falstaff (2018) and Strauss’ Intermezzo (2015). Before that, he directed Verdi’s Stiffelio at the Opéra de Dijon (2022), a revival of his production for the Opéra National du Rhin and the French production premiere of the piece.

Directing credits include Rigoletto (Opera Theatre of St Louis, USA), La Boheme (Opera di Firenze, Italy), La Belle Hélène and L’heure espagnole/Gianni Schicchi (Opéra national de Lorraine, France), Werther (Opéra de Quebec, Opéra de Montpellier, Opéra de Marseille), Madam Butterfly, Macbeth, Agrippina, Falstaff and La traviata (Iford Arts, UK), Giulio Cesare and La Traviata (Stand’été Moutier, Switzerland), Carmen (Riverside Opera, UK), Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux enfers and Blow’s Venus and Adonis (Les Arts Florissants, France).

His critically acclaimed production of Werther at the Opéra national de Lorraine won the Prix de la Critique Claude Rostand in 2017/2018. Falstaff at the Garsington Opera in 2018 was nominated for the South Bank Sky Arts Award in the Opera category.

His notable upcoming projects include Donizetti’s Zoraida di Granata at Wexford Festival Opera 2023, Porpora’s Polifemo at the Opéra National du Rhin in February 2024, Salome at Irish National Opera in March 2024 and a revival of Der Rosenkavalier at Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2024.

Ravella has been recognized time and again for his story telling, “pin-sharp attention to detail” and ability to clearly portray subtleties of the human condition.

SELECT PRODUCTIONS

FORTHCOMING

Zoraida di Granata, Donizetti. Wexford Festival, Ireland; Set design and costumes Gary McCann, Lighting Daniele Naldi – MD Diego Ceretta
Polifemo, Porpora. Opera National du Rhin, France. Set design and costumes Annemarie Woods, Lighting DM Wood – MD Emmanuelle Haïm, Co-production with Opera de Lille
Salome, Strauss. Irish National Opera, Ireland. Set design and costumes Leslie Travers, Choreographer Liz Roche – MD Fergus Sheil

PREVIOUS

Ariadne auf Naxos, Strauss. Garsington Opera, UK. Set design and costumes Giles Cadle, Lighting Malcolm Rippeth, Choreography Carmine de Amicis – MD Mark Wigglesworth
Stiffelio, Verdi. Opéra national du Rhin, France. Set design and costumes Hannah Clark, Lighting Malcolm Rippeth, Movement Carmine de Amicis – MD Andrea Sanguinetti Co-production with Opéra de Dijon
Der Rosenkavalier, Strauss. Garsington Opera, UK. Set design and costumes Gary McCann, Lighting Malcolm Rippeth – MD Jordan de Souza Co-production with Irish National Opera and Santa Fe Opera
Rigoletto, Verdi. Opera Theatre of St Louis, USA. Set design Alex Eales, Costumes Mark Bouman, Lighting Christopher Ackerlind, Choreography Séan Curran – MD Roberto Kalb
La belle Hélène, Offenbach. Opéra National de Lorraine, Nancy, France. Set design Giles Cadle, Costumes Gabrielle Dalton, Lighting Malcolm Rippeth, Choreography Philippe Giraudeau – MD Laurent Campellone
Falstaff, Verdi. Garsington Opera, UK. NOMINATED South Bank Sky Arts Award in the Opera category. NOMINATED Outstanding achievement in a New Opera Production – Broadway World UK. Design Giles Cadle – Lighting Malcolm Rippeth – MD Richard Farnes
Werther, Massenet Opéra National de Lorraine, Nancy, France. WINNER Prix de la critique Claude Rostand 2017/2018 – Best opera production of the season in France (outside Paris). Design Leslie Travers – Lighting Linus Fellbom – MD Jean-Marie Zeitouni. Revived – Opéra de Quebec, Quebec. City, Canada – Opéra de Montpellier, France – Opéra de Marseille, France
La Boheme, Puccini Opera di Firenze, Florence, Italy. Design Tiziano Santi – Lighting D.M. Wood – MD Francesco Ivan Ciampa
Madam Butterfly, Puccini. Iford Arts UK. Design Flavio Graf
L’heure Espagnole, Ravel/Gianni Schicchi, Puccini Opéra National de Lorraine, Nancy, France. Design Annemarie Woods – Lighting D.M. Wood – MD M. Balke
Intermezzo, Strauss Garsington Opera, UK. Design Giles Cadle – Lighting Bruno Poet – MD J Van Steen
Macbeth, Verdi Iford Arts, UK. Design Alyson Cummins – MD O. Gooch
Cavalleria Rusticana, Mascagni/ Pagliacci, Leoncavallo Hampstead Garden Opera, London. Design Flávio Graff – MD O-J Ruthven
Agrippina, Handel Iford Arts, UK. Design Kimm Kovac – MD C Bucknall
La Traviata, Verdi Stand Moutier, Switzerland. MD F Agudin
Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart Hampstead Garden Opera, London UK. MD O-J Ruthven
Apollo e Dafne, Handel Semi-staging, Carnegie Hall, New York, USA. Orchestra Arcangelo – MD J Cohen
Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Handel Stand Moutier, Switzerland. MD F Agudin – D L Carvalho
La Traviata, Verdi Iford Arts, UK. MD O Gooch Design Kimm Kovac
Mansfield Park, Dove Hampstead Garden Opera, London UK. MD O-J Ruthven – Nominated for Best Opera Production at the Offies 2014
Carmen, Bizet Riverside Opera, London UK. MD S Evans
Falstaff, Verdi Iford Arts, UK. MD O Gooch Design Kimm Kovac
La descente d’Orphée aux Enfers, Charpentier/ Venus and Adonis, Blow Les Arts Florissants.
MD J Cohen Design B Ravella – Performed in Paris, Versailles and Warsaw
La descente d’Orphée aux Enfers, Charpentier – Glyndebourne Jerwood Project – Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Design Bruno Ravella
La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart Hampstead Garden Opera, London. MD O-J Ruthven
L’elisir d’amore, Donizetti Hampstead Garden Opera. MD O-J Ruthven
Hansel & Gretel, Humperdinck Freightliners City Farm Opera, London UK. MD T Purser