Jeannette Aster

Who is Jeannette Aster?

Jeannette Aster is an opera director who has had a long association with the Canadian Opera Company.

Born in Linz Austria, Jeannette Aster was brought up and educated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Trained initially as a classical dancer, she obtained her BMus in Voice Performance from McGill University before going on to study Opera Production at the London Opera Centre in London, England.

After serving 5 years as a staff director in the Netherlands Opera, Hamburg State Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Aster made her Canadian debut as stage director in 1977 at the National Arts Centre Festival in Ottawa with Mozart's Magic Flute, returning the following season to direct Cosi fan tutte.

Working with General Director of the Canadian Opera Company Lotfi Mansouri, she helped found the COC Ensemble and in 1980 became its first resident director. In 1986, at the invitation of Peter Hemmings, she joined the newly formed Los Angeles Music Center Opera as a founding Associate Director and resident stage director.

From 1988 to 1998 Aster was Artistic Director of Opera Lyra Ottawa, fostering and promoting Canadian artists.