Robert Swedberg
Director
Robert Swedberg was the General Director of Orlando Opera in Orlando, Florida, from 1990 to April, 2007. Prior to that, he held positions as General Director of Syracuse Opera in New York, Manager and Artistic Director of North Carolina Opera in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Director of Special Educational Projects for Seattle opera. He has also been the director of opera studio programs at both the University of Central Florida and Syracuse University.
Mr. Swedberg became active as a stage director while on the staff of the prestigious Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival in Seattle, Washington, where he was Assistant Director for Wagner's Ring Cycle from 1978 to 1982. Since then, he has produced or directed more than 125 productions, and especially enjoys the challenge of the more unusual operatic repertoire, which has included new productions of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, L'incoronazione di Poppea, Don Pasquale, Die Zauberflöte, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, La Clemenza di Tito, HMS Pinafore, Trial by Jury, and Gianni Schicchi for several companies in the United States. He also produced and directed the double bill presentation of I Pagliacci and Carmina Burana for Orlando Opera in 2003, featuring choreographer Debra Brown and her troupe of Cirque du Soleil performers. That same year, he began to direct international productions, including Die Zauberflöte for both the Macau Music Festival and Beijing Music Festivals in China, La Sonnambula in Mallorca, Spain, and La Bohème in Hof, Bamberg and Bayreuth, Germany. He directs two new productions this fall: Le Nozze di Figaro in September for Theater Pforzheim, Germany; and Don Giovanni for Orlando Opera.
Mr. Swedberg was on the Board of Directors of OPERA America, the service organization for all opera companies in North America, from 2002- 2007; and he also hosts a weekly program: Opera with Robert Swedberg at 6:00 p.m. (Eastern) on 90.7 WMFE-FM, audio streamed at www.wmfe.org. Mr. Swedberg also enjoys presenting workshops for emerging artists, which can include: singing-actor development, audition techniques, career development, mentoring opera stage managers and directors, and Yoga for Performers. (He is a certified yoga instructor, see: www.yogaforperformers.com. )