About

Gregory Keller has created original opera productions across the United States. His extensive background in acting and theater informs his dynamic directing style, allowing him to craft exceptionally engaging performances with his singers. His degree in Art History/Architecture from Columbia University strongly informs his collaborations with set and costume designers, creating elegant, sophisticated and powerful stage images.

His most recent projects include: Kevin Puts’s and Mark Campbell’s excellent new opera, Elizabeth Cree, for the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance, where he also directed Hänsel & Gretel and Così fan tutte.

Previoius productions include: The Barber of Seville for Pittsburgh Opera; Gianni Schicchi and Madame Butterfly for Hawai’i Opera Theatre; fully staged concert versions of Carmen and La Bohéme for the Jacksonville Symphony with 30-foot high video projection design by Britanny Merenda; a fully staged concert version of Salome starring Patricia Racette for the Minnesota Orchestra; and a wacky, island-themed Così fan tutte for the Houston Grand Opera Studio Program.

For Wolf Trap Opera, he has directed Il Turco in Italia, with lavish costumes by Alejo Vietti, as well as Monteverdi’s baroque masterpiece, L’incoronazione di Poppea, beautifully designed and lit by Dipu Gupta.

For Cedar Rapids Opera, he created a punk-rock update of Pirates of Penzance with outstanding choreography by David Fernandez, and more recently a psychologically riveting Tosca. For CRO he has also directed Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, as well as a modern-day version of Salome, which was broadcast on Iowa PBS multiple times.

For Berkshire Opera, he created original productions of Le Nozze di Figaro, Madama Butterfly, L’heure espagnole and The Old Maid and the Thief, all presented with innovative set and lighting designs by Dipu Gupta, and conducted by Kathleen Kelly.

For Jonathan Sheffer’s Eos Orchestra he directed Dean Elzinga in Peter Maxwell Davies’s radical monodrama about George III, Eight Songs for a Mad King at the Ethical Culture Society in NY. This production was such a surprise hit it was reprised at East Hampton’s Guild Hall and Cleveland’s iconic Masonic Temple.

His theater production of Mark Crispin Miller’s funny and disturbing political analysis of George W. Bush, Patriot Act, enjoyed a sold-out run at New York Theatre Workshop, was released on DVD and broadcast nationwide on cable TV.

Gregory retired from the Metropolitan Opera after 28 seasons as a staff Stage Director, where he revived over 130 productions, including: La FIlle du Régiment with Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee; La Fanciulla del West with Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Marie Westbroek; Luisa Miller with Sonya Yoncheva and Piotr Bezcala; Mark Lamos’s stunning production of Wozzeck with Alan Held, Matthias Goerne, Waltraud Meier and Katarina Dalayman; John Dexter’s groundbreaking production of the complete 3-act version of Alban Berg’s masterpiece, Lulu, with Marlis Petersen and Christina Shäfer; as well as multiple revivals of Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic production of La Bohème, starring Ayleen Perez, Angel Blue, Anita Hartig, Maria Agresta, Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani, Charles Castronovo, and Russell Thomas. 

For the 25/26 academic year, “Professor Keller” taught acting for opera singers, scene study and professional career development at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance / Department of Voice & Opera. He has also been a guest faculty member at the Houston Grand Opera Studio, the Lindemann Young Artist Program at the Met, the Santa Fe Opera, and the New England Conservatory of Music.  

Upcoming projects include: Cendrillon for the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and Tosca for the Jacksonville Symphony.

A native of Los Angeles, he is an alumnus of Columbia College in New York City, where he lived for 44 years. He recently relocated to the Big Island of Hawai`i, where he enjoys swimming in the Pacific every day, stand-up paddle boarding, and perfecting his Mai Tai recipe.