Biography
Nashville Opera’s General and Artistic Director, John Hoomes, has directed over 75 productions of opera and musical theater in his career. As a freelance director, he works with companies throughout North America such as Kentucky Opera, Cincinnati Opera, The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Glimmerglass Opera, Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Indianapolis Opera, Opera New Jersey and Pittsburgh Opera.
Nashville Opera recently mounted the world premiere of Robert Aldridge’s Elmer Gantry, based on the famous book by Sinclair Lewis. Of his stage direction, Opera News said, “Hoomes has proved himself an intriguing iconoclast¼deftly handling the narrative's tricky juxtaposition of earthly grit (his rendering of Elmer's outrageous attempts at spiritual marketing were hilarious) and hints of the divine.”
In the 2009-2010 season and beyond, Mr. Hoomes directs a remount of Elmer Gantry at Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Otello at the Arizona Opera, Don Giovanni and Werther with Opera Cleveland, La Bohème at Opera Carolina, Carmen at the Arizona Opera, Romeo et Juliette at Opera Columbus, Don Giovanni at Opera New Jersey, and Nashville Opera’s productions of Tosca, Rigoletto, Andrea Chenier, Le Nozze di Figaro, Carmen and Phillip Glass’ Fall of the House of Usher.
In the recent 2008-2009 season, he directed Le Nozze di Figaro at Opera Carolina, Turandot with Opera Columbus, Lucia di Lammermoor at Opera New Jersey, Nashville Opera’s Don Giovanni, La Bohème and The Student Prince. In the 2007-2008 Season, he directed Salome with Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Andrea Chenier with Mobile Opera, I Pagliacci with the Augusta Opera, La Traviata with Opera New Jersey, and Nashville Opera’s productions of Samson et Dalilah, Il Trovatore, and H.M.S. Pinafore.
Additional recent engagements include Nashville Opera’s “Southeastern professional premiere” of two contemporary pieces: Poulanc’s La Voix Humaine and Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Lighthouse. Additionally, he has directed Don Giovanni for Florentine Opera of Milwaukee; Rigoletto for Opera Carolina; Carmen and Rigoletto with Opera Memphis; La Bohème and L’Elisir d’Amore with Augusta Opera; I Pagliacci/Il Maestro di Cappella for Lake George Opera; Turandot in with Indianapolis Opera; Hänsel und Gretel with Opera Columbus; and Roméo et Juliette with Opera Lyra Ottawa.
After receiving his Masters Degree at Indiana University, he served for 6 years as the Resident Stage Director and Dramaturge for the Kentucky Opera. In 1993, Mr. Hoomes was awarded the title of “American Cultural Expert” by the United States Information Agency. As a part of this appointment, Mr. Hoomes spent four weeks in Argentina with the Teatro Colón and their Instituto Superior. While in residence at the Teatro Colón, Mr. Hoomes taught master-classes in dramatic characterization, opera history, and acting for the operatic stage. Utilizing young singers from the Instituto, Mr. Hoomes also staged a "North American" opera, in both Spanish and in English.
