Calixto Bieito ( Miranda de Ebro, 2 November 1963) is a Spanish theater director known for his radical interpretations of classic

operas Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libret ...

Biography

Born in the small town of Miranda de Ebro, Bieito moved to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

with his family when he was 14. His mother was an amateur singer who encouraged him to play piano. His father was a railway worker, though he also shared a love of music, particularly the

zarzuela () is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular songs, as well as dance. The etymology of the name is uncertain, but some propose it may derive from the name of ...

tradition. Many of Bieito's uncles and cousins were musicians as well. From 1999 to 2011, Bieito was Artistic Director of the Teatre Romea in Barcelona and from 2010 to 2012, Guest Director of the International Arts Festival of Castilla y León. Since 2017, he is Artistic Director of the opera house

Teatro Arriaga The Arriaga antzokia in Basque or Teatro Arriaga in Spanish is an opera house in Bilbao, Spain. It was built in Neo-baroque style by architect Joaquín Rucoba in 1890, the same architect that built the city hall In local government, a ...

in Bilbao.

References

1963 births Living people People from Miranda de Ebro Spanish opera directors Spanish theatre directors {{Spain-bio-stub