05/10/2024
Today, our Die Fledermaus opera spotlight is on the incredibly gifted Dr. Alan E. Hicks.
Dr. Alan E. Hicks has created productions for organizations in the United States and Europe. Described as âpowerful and deeply moving,â âresplendent,â âabsolutely brilliant,â âgorgeous,â and âreal magic,â his work has appeared on the stages of Green Mountain Opera Festival, Miami Music Festival, Minnesota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, OpernFest Berlin, Franco-American Vocal Academy in Salzburg, Music Academy International (Italy), to name only a few.
Dr. Hicks has held positions on the directing staffs of Central City Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Michigan Opera Theatre, New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Seattle Opera, and Tulsa Opera. He served as Director of the Emerging Artist Program at Green Mountain Opera Festival from 2013 to 2015 and was the Resident Stage Director at San Diego Opera from 2018 to 2023. Dr. Hicks has worked alongside stars Stephanie Blythe, Renée Fleming, Greer Grimsley, Silvia McNair, Lee Meriwether, Erin Morley, Frederica von Stade, Thomas Hampson, and Nadine Sierra. Additionally, he has assisted such renowned opera and Broadway directors as Michael Cavanagh, Matthew Ozawa, Peter Kazaras, Susan Stroman, and Sam Buntrock.
He has served on the faculties of the Actors Studio Drama School, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Sam Houston State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Houston, and San Diego State University. Of Costa Rican-American descent, Dr. Hicks holds degrees in Music Education, Vocal Performance, and Opera Directing from Mississippi State University, Rice University, and The University of Texas at Austin (respectively). A published author on subjects ranging from acting to auditioning, his book, Singer and Actor: Acting Technique and the Operatic Performer, is held in over 200 libraries worldwide.