ANTHONY BAKER

 OPERA DIRECTOR

'Fidelio' Act 2 Finale at the Vlaamse Opera

Anthony originally trained as a set and costume designer at the Central School of Art and Design, London. He moved to directing  after more than two decades working internationally as a designer in Opera.

Initially he cut his directing teeth by working on productions as  co-director mostly with his regular directorial collaborator of the time, Francisco Negrin. Productions devised in this way include Beatrix Cenci (Geneva) Rinaldo (New York City Opera)  and he also  directed  Der Freischütz in Bilbao, a work he  originally designed for the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris.

His first  major opportunity to direct and design outright came in 2005 with a production of Tippett's The Knot Garden in Montepulciano (Italian premiere). He has continued to work as a director and sometimes designer for various UK based companies including  New Sussex Opera,  Mireille, Edgar and The Beggar's Opera. Tosca for Opera Brava, Stephen Oliver's A man of feeling for Grimeborn  as well as occasionally producing his own work, "Patience" and "Thespis" at the Normansfield Theatre ( 2007/8.)

 His next project is a production of Offenbach's 3 Act  Opera Bouffe, The Princess of Trebizonde for New Sussex Opera (in his own new translation). A rarity in the UK this is probably the first time the piece will  be performed here since the late nineteenth century.

"Anthony Baker's superb staging brought a living intensity to what can seem like rather schematic characters in Tippett's work. Against a set of opaque flats whose distorted reflexions seemed to amplify the personal angst  of the characters on stage, Baker gave us a reading of this complex work that was absorbing and unexpectedly clear without being simplistic...it made for a memorable and  compelling evening at the Opera."   Opera Now on "The Knot Garden"