Brian Dickie has been General Director of Chicago Opera Theater from 1999 until 2012. In the last three years the company's growing reputation has brought it great applause, most notably after its recent participation with the Netherlands Opera and Les Arts Florissants in the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Monteverdi cycle. After the extraordinary success of his first season with the company he was honored by the Chicago Tribune as a Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts for 2000.
Brian Dickie was born in England in 1941 and joined Glyndebourne Festival as an administrative assistant in the Music and Planning Departments in 1962. As assistant to the Head of Music Staff, Jani Strasser, he worked closely with Günther Rennert, Carl Ebert, John Pritchard and Vittorio Gui.
From 1967 to 1973 he was Artistic Director of the Wexford Festival and simultaneously the first Administrator of Glyndebourne Touring Opera where a high proportion of leading British singers begin their careers. From 1973 to 1984 he was Artistic Adviser successively to the theatres in Angers, Nancy and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. In 1981 he became General Administrator of Glyndebourne Festival Opera where he continued to work with many distinguished Directors and Conductors including Peter Hall, Trevor Nunn, Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Bernard Haitink, Simon Rattle, and Andrew Davis.
After 27 years with Glyndebourne, he went to Toronto as General Director of Canadian Opera Company in 1989 where he remained for 5 years leading the company to major successes. In 1994 he became Artistic Adviser of Opéra de Nice and in 1997-98 was General Director of the European Union Opera, sponsored by the European Commission in Brussels.
Since his return to London he has been Artistic Adviser and Consultant to Garsington Opera and English National Opera.
Brian Dickie is serving as Head of Auditions during the preliminary rounds of Neue Stimmen since 1999.
