Francisco Negrin (, born June 5, 1963)Federico Figueroa (Mexico City, October 2004) "Un mexicano en el mundo" pro ópera magazine , archived here is a creative director working in opera, as well as in the world of stadium and arena based shows and other events. He is considered to be one of the best directors in the world.Dear Magazine, No. 11 winter 2019/2020 archived here He is known for his musical and cinematic approach,Nick Kimberley (Sydney, November 2004) Film director manqué About the House magazine , archived here and for his success with projects considered to be difficult to stage. In opera, he is seen as a specialist of both baroqueMartin Buzacott (Brisbane, September 1998) "Fit for a rare treat", The Courier-Mail, archived here and contemporary music and his work in all media is characterised by a highly integrated use of dance and technology as part of the dramaturgy and a keen understanding of the culture being treated.
Biography Negrin was born in Mexico City, the son of Spaniard Francisco Negrín Díaz and Greek-Hawaiian Catherine Negrín (née Maggioros). He is the great-grandson of Juan Negrín López, President of the Second Spanish Republic. When he was 9 years old, the family moved from Mexico to the family home in Antibes, France.André Peyregne (Nice, March 3, 1990) Il monte Werther à l'opera de Nice, Nice Matin, archived here
After completing his secondary studies at the Lycée in Antibes (graduating with a mathematics and physics Baccalaureate), Negrin studied literature and film at the university of Aix-en-Provence, France, while attending singing lessons at the Conservatoire d'Aix-en-Provence, where he was first in contact with the world of opera. He worked as an extra and later as an assistant director and stage manager at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (1982–83). There he met Swiss stage director , who became his mentor and teacher. Negrin assisted him on many productions, including Seattle Opera's Ring cycle. Rochaix introduced him to the artist agent Lies Askonas. She recommended Negrin to Gerard Mortier who hired him as a staff assistant director at La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels for two seasons (1984-1986).La Monnaie/de Munt programme books 1984-86 There he continued to learn his trade assisting the directors Patrice Chéreau, , John Cox and Maurice Béjart. After leaving La Monnaie in 1986, Negrin moved to London where he started his career as a director. He has lived in Spain since 2003.
Career Negrin and conductor Peter Ash put together a performing version of the unfinished La chute de la maison Usher by Debussy, which they staged at Christ Church, Spitalfields, in London. This performance came to the attention of the Southbank Centre which commissioned a production of the reconstruction for the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1989. That was the start of an international directing career which, in opera, includes the following productions:
Opera productions
Production (Composer) Venue · location · dates Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (Shostakovich) Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · May 2024 Salome (Strauss)- Houston Grand Opera · Los Angeles · April 2023- ABAO · Bilbao · February 2018 - Palau de les Arts · Valencia · June 2010 Nabucco (Verdi) Oper im Steinbruch · Sankt Margarethen · July 2022 Il Trovatore (II) (Verdi) Los Angeles Opera · Los Angeles · September 2021Teatro Real · Madrid · July 2019Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · September 2018 Opera de Monte-Carlo · Mónaco · April 2017 The Snow Queen (Abrahamsen) Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · October 2019 Jérusalem (Verdi) ABAO · Bilbao · November 2019Theatre Bonn · Bonn · January 2016 Il Trovatore (Verdi) Sferisterio Opera Festival · Macerata · July 2013 and 2016 Idomeneo (Mozart) Aalto Musiktheater · Essen · November 2014 Mitridate (II) (Mozart) Drottningholm · Stockholm · August 2014 Thaïs (Massenet) Theatre Bonn · Bonn · May 2014 Alcina (Handel) Norwegian Opera · Oslo · January 2014 Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · February 2015 The Cunning Little Vixen (Janáček) Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · December 2012 Rinaldo (II) (Handel) Lyric Opera · Chicago · February 2012 L'Arbore di Diana (Martín y Soler) Opera National · Montpellier · November 2011Teatro Real · Madrid · March 2010Liceu · Barcelona · October 2009 Macbeth (Verdi) Opéra de Monte-Carlo · Monaco · April 2012ABAO · Bilbao · February 2011Opéra national du Rhin · Strasbourg and Mulhouse · April 2010 I Puritani (Bellini) Grand Théâtre · Geneva · January 2011Greek National Opera · Athens · April 2009De Nederlandse Opera · Amsterdam · February 2009 Una cosa rara (II) (Martín y Soler) Auditorio Narciso Yepes · Murcia · December 2010Teatro Calderón · Valladolid · April 2010Palau de les Arts · Valencia · February 2010 Werther (II) (Massenet) San Francisco Opera · San Francisco · September 2010 Alceste (Gluck) Santa Fe Opera · Santa Fe · August 2009 Partenope (II) (Handel) Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · October 2008 La corte de Faraón (Lleó) Palau de les Arts · Valencia · June 2008 Orlando (Handel) Palau de les Arts · Valencia · February 2008Royal Opera House · London · February 2007Royal Opera House · London · October 2003 La Clemenza di Tito (Mozart) Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · January 2008Liceu · Barcelona · October 2006 Norma (Bellini) Liceu · Barcelona · July 2007Liceu · Barcelona · December 2002Grand Théâtre · Geneva · September 1999Teatre Victoria · Barcelona · February 1999 Die Lustige Witwe (Lehar) Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · December 2006 Mitridate (Mozart) The Alhambra · Granada · June 2006Santa Fe Opera · Santa Fe · July 2001Grand Théâtre · Geneva · November 1997 Orphée (II) (Glass) Royal Opera House · London · May 2005 Temistocle (J.C. Bach) Théâtre du Capitole · Toulouse · June 2005Leipzig Opera · Leipzig · April 2005 Kafka's Trial (Ruders) Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · March 2005 Giulio Cesare (II) (Handel) Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · March 2005Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · May 2002 Leonore (Beethoven) Teatro Comunale · Bologna · November 2004 Arabella (Strauss) Flemish Opera · Gent · October 2004Opera North · Leeds · May 1999 Agrippina (Handel) Santa Fe Opera · Santa Fe · August 2004 Don Giovanni (Mozart) Glimmerglass · Cooperstown · July 2003 Partenope (I) (Handel) Lyric Opera · Chicago · February 2003NYC Opera · New York · September 1998Glimmerglass · Cooperstown · July 1998 Fidelio (Beethoven) Flemish Opera · Antwerp · October 2002 Giulio Cesare (I) (Handel) Dorothy Chandler Pavilion · L.A. · February 2001Opera Queensland · Brisbane · October 1998Opera Australia · Sydney · July 2000 / 1997 / June 1994 Rinaldo (I) (Handel) NYC Opera · New York · October 2000 Beatrix Cenci (Ginastera) Grand Théâtre · Geneva · September 2000 Der Freischütz (Weber) Lausanne Opera · Lausanne · May 2000Théâtre des Champs-Élysées · Paris · December 1999 Orphée (I) (Glass) Royal Danish Opera · Copenhagen · March 1998 Venus (Schoeck) Grand Théâtre · Geneva · February 1997 Les contes d'Hoffman (Offenbach) Opera Australia · Sydney · September 1996 King Arthur (Purcell) Guildhall · London · November 1995 Una cosa rara (I) (Martín y Soler) Drottningholm · Stockholm · July 1995 / 1993 V.S. (MacMillan) Edinburgh International Festival · Edinburgh · August 1993Tramway · Glasgow · May 1993 Tourist Variations (MacMillan) Edinburgh International Festival · Edinburgh · July 1993 Double Bill L'heure espagnole/La colombe (Ravel/Gounod) Guildhall · London · November 1992 Don Carlo (Verdi) Victoria State Opera · Melbourne · August 1992 Cosí Fan Tutte (Mozart) Seattle Opera · Seattle · May 1992 The Jewel Box (Mozart) Opera North · Leeds · February 1991 Glyndebourne · Lewes · October 1991 La Traviata (Verdi) Opera North · Leeds · September 1990 Orlando Paladino (Haydn) Garsington Festival · Garsington · June 1990 Janáček's Diary (Janáček) Purcell Room · London · April 1990 Werther (I) (Massenet) Opéra de Nice · Nice · March 1990 Usher (Debussy) São Carlos · Lisbon · September 1989Queen Elizabeth Hall · London · June 1989Spitalfields Festival · London · June 1986
Other work
In 2024, negrin was the creative director for three special concerts celebrating Andrea Bocelli’s 30 years of career, at the Teatro del Silenzio in Tuscany, featuring stars from music and screen including as Ed Sheeran, Jon Batiste, Will Smith, Brian May, Johnny Depp, Plácido Domingo, Josep Carreras, Shania Twain and more. A feature film of the shows, directed by Sam Wrench was released in worldwide cinemas, Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration
From 2020 to 2023 has co-directed together with Es Devlin and Gavin Robins 4 monumental shows for the 49th to 52nd Union day Celebrations in the UAE.
In 2021 Negrin wrote and directed a new production for Holiday on Ice: A New Day. The tour was stopped by COVID lockdowns and postponed to 2022. The show then completed a second tour in 2024, of France this time, under the title Aurore.
In 2020 Francisco Negrin directed the tableau vivant for Louis Vuitton’s Paris fashion week autumn/winter womenswear show.
Francisco Negrin has been a creative consultant for Balich Worldwide Shows, for whom he has conceived stadium, arena and other commercial events and shows.
In 2019 Negrin conceived, wrote and directed the opening ceremony of the Lima Panamerican Games and was the creative supervisor for the closing and also for the Parapan American Games ceremonies. These ceremonies had a huge impact in the country.
Negrin worked with the rock band OK Go, conceiving the staging for a performance at London's The Roundhouse, using an installation by architect Ron Arad called Curtain Call. But the show was cancelled before opening.
Television and DVD
The following productions have been broadcast on TV: Venus, Les contes d'Hoffman, Una cosa rara (Drottninholm version), Una cosa rara (Valencia version) and Intimissimi on ice 2014 and 2105 were both broadcast in Italy and Spain.
The following productions have been released on DVD: I puritani (DVD and Blu-ray),Opus Arte, 2012 L'arbore di Diana,Dynamic-Fundación del gran teatro del Liceu, 2010 Giulio Cesare (Sydney version),2005 Euroarts Music International Gmbh Giulio Cesare (Copenhagen version),harmonia mundi s.a. 2007 Partenope (Copenhagen version),2009, Decca Classics, Decca music group, a Universal Music company Norma (Barcelona version)Arthaus Musik Gmbh 2009 and Il Trovatore (Macerata version).Dynamic, 2017
Awards Negrin's production of Orlando at The Royal Opera House in London was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards in 2004: "Best new opera production" and "Outstanding achievement in opera" (for Bejun Mehta).
His production of Giulio Cesare for Opera Australia won several Green Room Awards in 1995, including best opera director and best opera production.
Negrin's second production of Giulio Cesare, the one for the Royal Danish opera in Copenhagen, won the Award for best opera production in 2003, while Negrin's production of Partenope for the same company was nominated for the award in 2009.
References
External links
Francisco Negrín Operabase Artist profile at HarrisonParrott Management Artist profile at AMCK Management