Nicholas Heath
director

Born 21 December 1959, London

Heath was surrounded by musical influences from an early age as his father, cellist Kenneth Heath helped found the Academy of St. Martins in the Fields

Over the last 25 years Heath has been involved in over 200 productions. Highlights have included Brittens’s Paul Bunyan;Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Royal Opera); Weill’s Die Dreigroschenoper (Montepulciano Arts Festival): Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; Lehar’s Die Lustige Witwe (Pavilion Opera).

For more than 10 years Heath has worked at the Royal Opera apart from being a producer, director and designer.

Heath has directed over 22 productions from Cosi Fan Tutte to Oliver and has provided opportunities for many young, talented singers,  many of whom have international careers (Victoria Simmonds, Leah Marion Jones, Peter Auty, Quentin Hayes and Jeremy White).

Arminta Wallace in the Irish Times in 2003: “First and most importantly comes the casting. As a full-time member of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Heath is well placed to get hold of the most promising up and coming young actor-singers.”

Heath has also worked with a wide range of directors like Richard Eyre, Francesca Zambello, Tim Hopkins, Moshe Leiser, Patrice Caurier, Oliver Tambosi and Franco Zefirelli.

With Opera A La Carte, an independent opera company, which he founded and still directs, he has produced many high quality performances like the Tango version of The Barber of Seville, arranged for Violin, clarinet and accordion, bassoon and piano, which became the Critics Choice in the London Times in July 2002.

In May 1998 In and Around Covent Garden wrote about Opera A La Carte’s Sarastro performances: “You do not need to go to an opera house –or festival to enjoy the delights of a musical extravaganza. All the singers were superb and delivered wonderful performances with breathtaking voices that filled the room."

Stuart Maunder, Artistic Administrator of Australia Opera, wrote: “Heath has always displayed a passionate commitment to the performing arts and working with young singers in particular. To his directing he is able to bring a natural theatricality and a demanding attention for detail as well as fine musicianship.”

The international pianist Murray Perahia wrote in 2001: “I was very privileged to see Opera A La Carte’s Marriage of Figaro in a private house. It was delightful and managed to create a theatrical impression in a limited space with very few props, using the most minimal instrumentation.”

Heath strives to promote music and theatre as a global language that can transcend race, religion and political divides.

Directors note

Opera A La Carte
E-mail: nick@operaalacarte.com