Omer Ben Seadia is known for her inventive, thoughtful, and socially conscious productions. While garnering a name for herself in the classic repertoire, she has also won praise for developing and promoting new opera all over the world.
Omer creates visually captivating and imaginative productions, with a clear vision for both characters and storytelling. Raised in the realm of theater, she excels at eliciting outstanding performances from her artists. Whether immersed in contemporary or classic repertoire, she consistently highlights under-represented and frequently disregarded perspectives in her creations.
Since beginning her U.S. career in 2012 after more than a decade with the Israeli Opera, Omer has garnered acclaim for her commitment to fostering new works and mentoring the upcoming generation of bold and forward-thinking artists. Noteworthy among her recent productions are Thumbprint by Kamala Sankaram and Susan Yankowitz (Portland Opera and Chautauqua Opera), Handel’s Ariodante (Curtis Institute) and Atalanta (Juilliard Opera), and The Magic Flute (Opera Theatre of St. Louis).
In 2021, she created the world premiere production of The Snowy Day by Joel Thomas and Andrea Davis Pinkney at Houston Grand Opera. Adapted from the vividly illustrated children’s book by Ezra Jack Keats, The Snowy Day skillfully brings the joy and innocence of Peter’s snowy adventures to life. Portland Opera will remount the production in March 2024, with future productions to be announced soon.
Other recent original production include Carmen and Ariadne auf Naxos at Cincinnati Opera, Josephine and After Life (Tom Cipullo) at Opera Colorado, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (Daniel Schnyder) at Atlanta Opera, and Idomeneo (Handel) at Wolf Trap Opera.
As an educator, Omer has taught acting and directing to emerging artists at the top training programs in North America. This includes the Lindemann Young Artist Program (Metropolitan Opera), the Merola Opera Program and Adler Fellowship (San Francisco Opera), Ryan Opera Center (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Houston Grand Opera Studio, Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program, Aspen Music Festival, Juilliard School, Rice University, International Vocal Arts Institute, and the Canadian Vocal Academy Institute.
Omer completed her Artist Diploma degree from the prestigious opera directing program at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and was an Apprentice Stage Director at the Merola Opera Program. She is also a graduate of Seminar Ha’kibutzim School of Performing Arts in Tel Aviv with a degree in theater directing, as well as a teaching degree in theater education.
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