Keturah Stickann’s work has been seen in countless opera houses across the United States and Canada, as well as in Chile, Japan, France, Germany, Hungary, and Australia.  A champion of new American opera, she has worked extensively with director and librettist, Leonard Foglia, helping to bring new operas to the stage by Ricky Ian Gordon, Jennifer Higdon, Jose “Pepe” Martinez, Joby Talbot, and Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer.  Her work on the premieres of Moby-Dick (2010), and It’s A Wonderful Life (2016) prompted Jake Heggie to ask her to helm the premiere of his newest opera, If I Were You (2019), at the Merola Opera Program.  In addition, she has directed works by Mr. Gordon, Laura Kaminsky, Anthony Davis, and Robert Aldridge.
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Ms. Stickann has a well-rounded operatic repertoire, directing new productions including Candide, La clemenza di Tito, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Don Giovanni, L’enfant et les sortileges, Jonathan Dove’s Flight, Norma, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, Pelléas et Mélisande, The Seven Deadly Sins, Tosca, La tragédie de Carmen, and La traviata, among others.
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Born and raised in the Midwest, Ms. Stickann had an early career as a classical and contemporary dancer, dancing extensively in opera toward the end of her performing career. Her background in dance and theater has made her a sought after movement coach, working with young artists at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Brevard Music Center, Stephen’s College, DePaul University, Opera Memphis, The San Diego Opera, and Virginia Opera.
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