Opera director and jury president 2026, Sir David Pountney brings his knowledge and expertise to the singers and public during the 59th International Vocal Competition ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Don’t miss this educational and entertaining masterclass with world-class singing from the singers of the IVC Opera | Oratorio!
On Wednesday, October 7, 2026 (20:15), the renowned opera director will work with the singers of the IVC in the Pleinzaal of the Theater aan de parade. Chosen singers from the Main Rounds of the 59th IVC who did not advance to the Grand Finale will present an aria during the masterclass.
All masterclasses are open to the public in the Pleinzaal of the Theater aan de Parade. The masterclass takes place from 20:15-22:30, including a short break.
Biography Sir David Pountney
Sir David Pountney CBE is one of the most influential opera directors of his generation, acclaimed for his theatrical imagination, commitment to new work, and leadership of major opera houses and festivals.
In the 2025–26 season he directs the world premiere of Dorian Gray, a new opera by Elżbieta Sikora with a libretto by Sir David, at the Poznań Opera House; revives Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw; and returns to Grange Park Opera for the world premiere of John Tavener’s Krishna. Highlights of the 2024–25 season include Black Mask at the Poznań Opera House, La forza del destino at Theater Bonn, and Mazeppa at Grange Park Opera.
His recent work includes Masque of Might and The Cunning Little Vixen for Opera North in Leeds; Dalibor for the Janáček Theatre in Brno; The Passenger for Teatro Real in Madrid; A Masked Ball at Theater Bonn; Le nozze di Figaro for the Opera Națională in Bucharest and for the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv; Rusalka for Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico; Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for Oper Leipzig; and Figaro Gets a Divorce for Theater Magdeburg. Other notable projects include The Passenger in Houston, New York and Chicago; Kommilitonen, his third opera with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, premiered at the Royal Academy of Music in London and later at the Juilliard School in New York; and Philip Glass’s Spuren der Verirrten, created for the opening of the new opera house in Linz and awarded the Schikaneder Prize for Best Opera Production in 2013. He also staged Die Zauberflöte on the lake stage in Bregenz, where he was Intendant from 2003 to 2013.
Sir David first came to international prominence with Katya Kabanova at the Wexford Festival in 1972. He went on to serve as Director of Productions at Scottish Opera (1975–80), where he created a landmark Janáček cycle in collaboration with Welsh National Opera. He later became Director of Productions at English National Opera (1980), directing more than 20 operas and helping to position ENO as a centre of theatrical innovation.
He has directed more than 20 world premieres, including three operas by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies for which he also wrote the libretti. He has translated operas into English from Russian, Czech, German and Italian, and continues to work actively as a librettist.
From 2011 to 2019 Sir David was Artistic Director of Welsh National Opera, where his productions included Berg’s Lulu, Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, Mosè in Egitto, Pelléas et Mélisande, the world premiere of In Parenthesis, the world premiere of Elena Langer’s Figaro Gets a Divorce, and La forza del destino, which launched a Verdi trilogy. His final season at WNO featured Janáček’s Jenůfa.
