Bruno Ravella joins MA roster
We are delighted to welcome director Bruno Ravella to the Maestro Arts roster for general management.
Ravella was born in Casablanca of Italian and Polish parents, and was educated mainly in France, subsequently making London his home. Following an early career in marketing for the automotive industry, he changed paths to pursue his passion for opera.
After assisting several of the world’s leading directors, he made his directorial debut with Strauss’s Intermezzo for Garsington Opera, and has gone on to direct at houses around the world including Opéra national de Lorraine, Opéra national du Rhin, Opéra de Lausanne, Opera di Firenze, Wexford International Festival and Irish National Opera.
He made his US directing debut in 2019 with Verdi’s Rigoletto for Opera Theatre of St Louis, and in 2024 directed Der Rosenkavalier for Santa Fe Opera (originally created for Garsington Opera), with Wall Street Journal writing: ‘Bruno Ravella’s thoughtful production struck a perfect balance of comedy and poignancy with nothing extraneous.’
In our latest interview, he says of his artistic process: ‘Having been educated within the French system, I have a somewhat Cartesian approach, with the study of the text being very important. I work with the text to find things within it, going from the inside out, rather than forcing a concept or trying to distort the story. I try to get the images and thoughts from the piece itself. Maybe some things don’t quite work in the libretto, and you need to understand why not and how to make them work.'
Reviews have praised his attention to detail. He explains: ‘I can be very precise as to when to touch a piece of furniture, which way to turn or how to move, but within that, I try to let the singer express the idea truthfully. Less is more. I’m not afraid of stillness, and I always tell singers to trust the music. You don’t need business for the sake of business. It’s a duality of being very precise, and within that, making sure that the singers feel they can express the music without feeling constrained, trapped or handcuffed in something that doesn’t feel right.’
Awards include a Prix Claude Rostand de la critique 2017–18 for Werther at Opéra national de Lorraine and the Renaissance Award at the Forum Opera Trophies 2021 for Verdi’s Stifelio at Opéra nationl du Rhin. He was also nominated for the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Falstaff at Garsington.
Projects in the 2024–25 season include new productions of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell for Opéra de Lausanne and La bohème for Opera New Zealand and his Salome, created for Irish National Opera in 2024, will be revived at Teatro Massimo di Palermo in Spring 2025.
