Israeli director 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.
Press
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REVIEW: Palm Beach Opera opens season with an emotional and riveting “Tosca”
“One of the opera’s great scenes is the Te Deum… As set up by stage director Omer Ben Seadia, it was a grandiose spectacle of religious devotion and secular hypocrisy that kept the focus firmly on the police chief Baron Scarpia and his malevolent plotting.” … “And appropriately for this gritty, realistic opera, under Seadia’s direction, the stage acting was subtle and cinematic, with none of the exaggerated, heavy-handed gestures that characterize many productions.”
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FEATURE: Omer Ben Seadia - Lucia's Cry
The renewing director of the Israeli Opera production "Lucia di Lammermoor" connects the story of the heroine to the horrors of October 7. “One of the stories that touches me again and again of what has been happening here since October 7th, and it also leads me to the production, is the silent cry. The intelligence women who tried to warn months and years before the war and no one listened or took any notice. There is a silent cry of women here that prevents men from running the militant system.”
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REVIEW: Israeli Opera's ‘Lucia’ is painfully reminiscent of Oct. 7
“Ben Seadia, who returned to Israel a short time before the war in order to work on the opera, said that she is dedicating this production to the heroic IDF women who attempted, for months, to warn of the coming danger.”
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REVIEW: Portland Opera’s “Thumbprint” elevates the human spirit with the story of Muktar Mai
“This powerful opera, directed with insightful clarity by Omer Ben Seadia, hit a trifecta of thrilling performances from the singers, dancers, and orchestral musicians. And that was complemented by evocative scenery and lighting to mesmerize the audience for 90 minutes straight.”
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FEATURE: ‘The Snowy Day,’ a Children’s Classic, Becomes an Opera
“Omer Ben Seadia, the director of the production, said she hoped the work would resonate with people, even if they had never read ‘The Snowy Day’ or seen an opera before.”
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REVIEW: Houston Grand Opera’s charming ‘Snowy Day’ worth the wait
“Rich with durable themes of family, friendship, and the joys of childhood, the hourlong “Snowy Day” makes a worthy addition to the children’s operatic canon. It deserves to be performed regularly — during the holidays or otherwise…”
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REVIEW: HGO’s “Snowy Day” premiere offers a charming musical winter’s tale
“Director Omer Ben Seadia’s staging captured not only the coziness of Peter’s home but—with the help of movement director Courtney B. Jones—the freewheeling fun of the youngsters’ antics in the snow. ”
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REVIEW: Opera Theatre of St. Louis Hits All the Right Notes with THE MAGIC FLUTE
“Renovated by director Omer Ben Seadia’s clever pacing, Jessica Jahn’s vivaciously creative costumes, and Ryan Howell’s set design, Mozart’s 18th-century work has gotten a needed fresh coat of paint. Thanks to these individual OTSL debuts, this magical adventure of enchanted lands, magical instruments, and monarchs with divergent world views is, at times, breezy and cerebral.”
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REVIEW: A magical night at the opera
“Director Omer Ben Seadia creates a pace that makes the two hours and forty-five minutes fly by. She also curates the chemistry to create an experience that authentically displays each range of the many emotions covered over the course of the opera.”
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REVIEW: Utah Opera hits the Puccini heights with a vibrant “Tosca”
“Omer Ben Seadia, who directed the Utah Opera production, chose to have time stand still during [Vissi d’arte]… This was of many excellent choices Ben Seadia made that kept the opera true to the plot and its gritty Verismo roots. Characters’ movements were natural and motivated by their needs and wants in the moment.”
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REVIEW: Calgary Opera's The Merry Widow a charming, playful antidote to winter
“The stage action by Omer Ben Seadia was clever and included many amusing touches and happily without recourse to gratuitous slapstick. Together with an especially fine concluding act, there was much to enjoy in the comedy of the pavilion scene and the finale of act one.”
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REVIEW: Hadelich, Handel opera, lift music festival’s final weekend
“Director Omer Ben Seadia developed clear intent for each character and created a series of touching scenes. She navigated the limits of concert opera with a few chairs, a desk and a toy boat. A chessboard-like floor defined rooms and gave the characters something to use as a maze and finally rip apart as the complicated plot reached its climax.”
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BLOG: Operating with Compassion
“How the pandemic set the stage for opera director Omer Ben Seadia to connect with her community.”
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REVIEW: Cincinnati Opera’s ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ a zany evening at the theater
“Imaginatively staged by Omer Ben Seadia in her company debut, this production is witty entertainment updated to an only-in-Cincinnati setting – Powel Crosley Jr.’s home in College Hill in 1958.”
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REVIEW: Cincinnati Opera's 'Ariadne auf Naxos ' is Not to Be Missed
"Ariadne auf Naxos is the best offering so far of this season, with superb singing and acting in a terrifc new production brilliantly staged by Omer Ben Seadia.... Ariadne auf Naxos is not to be missed”
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INTERVIEW: Young director Omer Ben Seadia shapes Cincinnati Opera’s Crosley-inspired ‘Ariadne’
“‘She is resilient and strong and people sense they will get the truth from her,’ [Robin] Guarino said. ‘There are a lot of pretenders out there. But as a director, everyone has to believe in your storytelling. They have to want to join in. They have to want to play in your sandbox.’”