First Joint Director of Opera Theatre Named
The new position is shared between SDSU and the San Diego Opera.
“By combining the resources and needs of both institutions, we are able to elevate the producing expertise of both the Opera and SDSU’s opera program in ways we couldn’t achieve alone.”
The San Diego State University School of Music and Dance and the San Diego Opera have appointed Alan E. Hicks as director of opera theatre—a new, shared position between the two organizations.
Director of opera theatre is a full-time, faculty position that will direct SDSU Opera’s fall production, teach acting and stage movement for singers, and act as assistant director on San Diego Opera’s mainstage productions in the spring.
Hicks’ first project will be to direct the SDSU production of Flight, by Jonathan Dove, in November.
“I’m thrilled about the creation of this shared position between San Diego Opera and SDSU, and about the appointment of Alan Hicks,” said David Bennett, San Diego Opera’s general director. “By combining the resources and needs of both institutions, we are able to elevate the producing expertise of both the Opera and SDSU’s opera program in ways we couldn’t achieve alone. This appointment signals a deepened relationship between the San Diego Opera and SDSU.”
Hicks has spent the past two decades in professional opera and theatre as a singer, teacher, and stage director. He has directed productions for organizations throughout the United States and in Europe, including the Minnesota Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the University of Houston, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Hicks holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in opera directing from the University of Texas at Austin, a master of music in vocal performance degree from Rice University, and a bachelor of music education from Mississippi State University.
“A hallmark of the PSFA experience is engagement with the community. This partnership with the Opera and Alan advances theory and application in the arts for SDSU students and provides the arts community with a world-class artist," said Joyce Gattas, former dean of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA). "This innovative position provides synergies and collaborations between two organizations with similar mission that previously didn’t exist. This is the first of its kind in the CSU system, but I suspect not the last.”
