Ian Campbell

Who is Ian Campbell?

Ian David Campbell is an Australian-born opera singer, stage director, administrator, radio broadcaster and writer. He has been the General Director and Artistic Director of San Diego Opera since 1983.

Campbell was born in Brisbane, grew up in Townsville, and graduated from the University of Sydney, holding the designations of Fellow, and Certified Professional Manager, from the Australian Institute of Management.

He began his operatic career in 1967 as a principal character tenor with the Australian Opera, and retired from singing in 1974 following the first season in the Sydney Opera House. He moved into management as Senior Music Officer for the Australia Council from 1974 to 1976, and later became General Manager of the State Opera of South Australia in Adelaide from 1976 to 1982. In 1982 he joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York as Assistant Artistic Administrator before becoming the General and Artistic Director, CEO of San Diego Opera in 1983.

His stage directing credits include La bohème and The Tales of Hoffmann for the State Opera of South Australia; Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci for Santa Barbara Grand Opera. For San Diego Opera he has staged Falstaff, Il trovatore, Tosca, Katya Kabanova with Patricia Racette, La traviata with Anja Harteros singing her first Violetta, La bohème with Richard Leech, and Don Quichotte with Ferruccio Furlanetto and Denyce Graves.