BERLIN OPERA ACADEMY

Following several years as a professional singer and teaching stints at the internationally acclaimed Actors Studio Drama School and American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Alan E. Hicks turned his attention to stage direction winning awards and garnering praise from critics and audiences alike. His work has been described as “powerful and deeply moving,” “imaginatively directed,” “absolutely brilliant,” “gorgeous,” and “real magic." He has directed productions for organizations throughout the United States and in Europe including Minnesota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Opera, Tulsa Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Franco-American Vocal Academy in Salzburg, and Music Academy International in Italy. Alan has also served on the directing and production 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. In 2013, he was appointed Director of the Emerging Artist Program at Green Mountain Opera Festival, a position he held until the company's closing in 2015.

Recent and upcoming engagements include Tosca, Aida, The Falling and the Rising, and All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 for San Diego Opera, Ariadne auf Naxos for Minnesota Opera, L’Elisir d’Amore for Opera Santa Barbara, Die Zauberflöte for the Berlin Opera Academy, La Clemenza di Tito for Music Academy International, Albert Herring at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, L'Amico Fritz and L'Italiana in Algeri for the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston, Die Zauberflöte for Shenandoah Conservatory, and The Turn of the Screw for the Miami Music Festival.

In addition to his work alongside such venerable operatic performers as Renée Fleming, Stephanie Blythe, Silvia McNair, Frederica von Stade, Carl Tanner, and Thomas Hampson as well as rising stars Michelle Bradley, Erin Morley, Kate Lindsey, Hannah Hipp, Brian Jagde, Pene Pati, Amber Wagner, and Nadine Sierra, Alan has assisted renowned opera directors Chris Alexander, Linda Brovsky, Michael Cavanagh, Peter Kazaras, Jay Lesenger, Matthew Ozawa, and Broadway veterans Susan Stroman and Sam Buntrock.

Of Costa Rican-American descent, Alan holds degrees in Music Education, Vocal Performance, and Opera Directing from Mississippi State University, Rice University, and The University of Texas at Austin (respectively). Alan is a member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA) and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).

Click here to discover Alan E. Hicks' book Singer and Actor, Acting Technique and the Operatic Performer.