Search Website
Joel Ivany
Biography
Joel Ivany is an award-winning Canadian opera director, librettist, and producer whose work has been recognized for its imaginative storytelling and contemporary approach to opera. Described by The Globe and Mail as an “opera-world wunderkind,” Ivany has directed productions across North America and Europe with companies including LA Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Minnesota Opera, Vancouver Opera, National Arts Centre, and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Recent highlights include his mainstage debut at LA Opera directing Otello, a new production of Don Giovanni for the National Arts Centre and Banff Centre, and the remount of his acclaimed production of Carmen at the Canadian Opera Company.
Ivany is the founder and former Artistic Director of Against the Grain Theatre, the internationally recognized company celebrated for redefining how opera can connect with contemporary audiences through immersive performance, film, and unconventional stagings. Under his leadership, the company gained international attention for projects including Messiah/Complex, which received the Digital Excellence in Opera Award from Opera America.
In addition to directing, Ivany is an accomplished librettist whose original works have been presented by organizations including the Canadian Opera Company and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He currently serves as Artistic Director of Edmonton Opera.
A proud alumnus of Western University, where he completed his undergraduate music degree, Ivany was recently inducted into the Don Wright Faculty of Music Wall of Fame. He also holds an Artist Diploma in Opera Directing from the University of Toronto.