Daniel Helfgot

Daniel Helfgot's credits include over 180 productions of over 90 different operas, operettas and zarzuelas from the Baroque to the contemporary, including several world premieres.

His international credits include productions in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Argentina, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico and in the US he has directed for such companies as the Utah Festival, Orlando, Virginia; Baltimore; Memphis; Chattanooga; Knoxville; Eugene; Pennsylvania Festival; Billings, Montana; Spring Opera and Western Opera Theater of San Francisco; West Bay and Festival Opera of California; Utah; Sacramento, etc.

His work also includes productions of tango and cabaret shows.

From 1982 through 2000 Mr. Helfgot was the Resident Director and Director of Production for Opera San José where he created 60 productions defining the company's artistic output and established all its production departments. He also led the design process for the renovation of its performing venues.

In Argentina, he was Production Director and Artistic Coordinator for the Opera, Ballet and Symphony seasons at the Teatro Argentino and directed the Project for the Design and Development of the Center for Performing Arts in La Plata, where he also founded the Teatro Musical de Cámara and the Noviembre Musical Festival. He also worked as Resident Assistant Director and coordinator of rehearsals for the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

He was also Producer and Director for the Pennsylvania Opera Theater in Pittsburgh, PA.

He directed opera broadcasts of his own productions for the television in Argentina and an award winning production for PBS in the US. He produced, as well, several opera radio programs.

Helfgot translates opera libretti from the Italian, Spanish, German and French for English and Spanish titles, and writes operatic dialogue versions for the English, Spanish and German repertoire.

Mr. Helfgot is the author of the Third Line: The Opera Performer as Interpreter, a definitive book on the training of singers, originally published and sold out by Schirmer Books followed by a revised, second edition titled Third Line: The Singer as Interpreter, in paperback.

He is also the author of the libretto for the opera The Tale of the Nutcracker with music by Craig Bohmler premiered in 1999.

His teaching experience includes a guest professorship at the Musikhochschule of the Vienna University, Austria; the leadership of the Vocal and Vocal Accompanying Programs at the Music Academy of the West; the California State University, Summer Arts program, as well as workshops and master classes for the Northridge, Los Angeles and Sacramento campuses; Stanford University; San Francisco, Boston and New England Conservatories; NATS; the National Academy of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan; Shenandoah University; Instituto Superior de Arte, Teatro Colón, Argentina; and at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where he was the head of the Opera Program and the Middle America Opera Apprentice Program.

Currently, he teaches Opera Styles and Interpretation at San Jose State University in California.