Copley, John (Michael)
Copley, John (Michael)
Copley, John (Michael) , English opera director;b. Birmingham, June 12, 1933. He studied with Joan Cross at the National School of Opera in London. He was active in London as a stage manager at the Sadler’s Wells Opera, where he first turned to directing with his staging of II Tabarro in 1957; he then worked at Co vent Garden, where he garnered success with his production of Cosl fan tutte in 1968; from 1971 to 1988 he was resident opera director there, and also was active at the English National Opera. As a guest opera director, he staged works at the San Francisco Opera, the Australian Opera in Sydney, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. His respect for the score at hand and the singers engaged, combined with imaginative direction, have made Copley’s productions notably successful.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire