Alexander Neef will serve as the next General Director of Opéra national de Paris.
Neef took over as General Director of the Canadian Opera Company in June 2008. In his current position, he has transformed the COC into one of the most significant opera producers in the world, attracting globally renowned singers for high-profile role debuts and gathering some of the most important conductors, directors, and designers for creative projects. The company has since hosted two world premieres, Pyramus and Thisbe, by Canadian composer Barbara Monk Feldman, in fall 2015, and Hadrian, composed by Rufus Wainwright with libretto by Daniel MacIvor in fall 2018; two more new operas are scheduled for future seasons: The Old Fools, by composer Ana Sokolović and librettist Paul Bentley, and La Reine-Garçon, by composer Julien Bilodeau and librettist Michel Marc Bouchard.
One of Neef's most significant credits to the company includes increasing the public profile and professional development opportunities of the COC Ensemble Studio, a multidisciplinary training program for young opera singers. In addition to casting an annual mainstage performance with The Ensemble Studio's young artists, Neef spearheaded the creation of The Ensemble Studio Competition, an annual event that invites a public audience to hear the final rounds of auditions for the career-changing program. Recently, the company's development initiatives have expanded to form the COC Academy, an incubator for the future of the art form that nurtures Canada's new wave of opera creators with customized training and support.
Videos