Eric Einhorn (he/him) is the co-founding General & Artistic Director of On Site Opera, the country’s only opera company dedicated to site-specific productions. His immersive, site-specific productions have performed to sold-out houses and critical acclaim since the company’s founding. He has created partnerships with venues and institutions throughout New York City that range from community gardens, historic homes, restaurants, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has also forged partnerships with social service and educational organizations to further involve the community in the creation and impact of On Site’s productions. Eric has become an industry-recognized leader in site-specific opera, often speaking at conferences and teaching masterclasses. He has also spearheaded a technology initiative with the company that has led to the world’s first use of Google Glass for supertitles, as well as the implementation of a mobile app for supertitles and digital programs.
As a freelance stage director, his production of Dialogues des Carmélites for Austin Opera was awarded “Best Opera” at the Austin Critics’ Table Awards in addition to garnering him a nomination for “Best Director.” He reprised his direction of Dialogues des Carmélites in a return to Pittsburgh Opera, where he has also directed Carmen, Don Pasquale, and Xerxes. His other recent projects include his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut staging Hänsel und Gretel and his subsequent return to the company to direct I puritani and the world premiere of The Property, a klezmer opera for which he was also adapter, for Lyric Unlimited. He has also directed new productions of Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Turandot, and Orff’s Carmina Burana for the Pacific Symphony; Fidelio for Utah Opera; Der fliegende Holländer in a return to Austin Opera; Carmen with Portland Opera; Giulio Cesare with Florentine Opera; Le nozze di Figaro with Fort Worth Opera; Alcina and Così fan tutte for Wolf Trap Opera, Orpheus in the Underworld for Glimmerglass Opera; the world premiere of Clark’s Happy Birthday, Wanda June for Indianapolis Opera; a new production of Carmen for the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Festival; Janáček’s The Diary of One Who Vanished for Gotham Chamber Opera; Hans Krása’s Brundibár for Michigan Opera Theatre; staged concerts of Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna and Weill’s Royal Palace for the Bard Music Festival; and Cosi fan tutte for Florida Grand Opera outreach and Rutgers University.
Eric has served on the directing staff of The Metropolitan Opera since 2005, where he has staged Hänsel und Gretel, Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto, and La cenerentola. Also at The Metropolitan Opera, he has collaborated on three world premieres, Nico Muhly’s Marnie, Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy and Tan Dun’s The First Emperor; numerous new productions that include The Nose, Prince Igor, Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer, From the House of the Dead, Der Rosenkavalier, Giulio Cesare, Anna Bolena, Die Fledermaus, Manon, Tosca, Adams’ Nixon in China, Glass’ Satyagraha; and several operas in the house’s standing repertoire.
He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Opera Directing & Voice Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.