Gilbert Blin

Opera Director & Designer

About Gilbert Blin

Opera Director, Designer and Historian

Gilbert Blin, currently Opera Director at the Boston Early Music Festival, completed his PhD at Leiden University in 2018. He studied Theater History and Stage Direction at the Sorbonne in Paris and has developed a specialization in Baroque opera, particularly the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau. Throughout his career, he has focused on the intersection of French opera and Baroque theater.

Stage Direction: French Repertoire

In 1991, Blin directed his first major production, Massenet’s Werther, for the Opéra de Nancy. He revisited this work at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1994 and directed Delibes’s Lakmé in 1995, a production that was revived several times across France until 2000. His collaboration as a dramaturge on Bizet’s Carmen in 1996 at the Royal Opera of Copenhagen and his work directing Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable at the Prague State Opera in 1999 helped solidify his presence in European opera houses.

His involvement with the operas of Gluck has been a constant throughout his career. Blin acted as an adviser for productions such as Iphigénie en Tauride (Drottningholm, 1990) and Alceste (Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 1993), and directed a well-regarded staging of Orfeo ed Euridice at the Drottningholm Theatre in 1992, which was later revived for the Gluck Festival in Stockholm.

18th Century Italian Opera and Set Reconstruction

Blin has directed several prominent productions of 18th-century Italian operas. These include Vivaldi’s Orlando furioso (2001) at the State Opera of Prague and Rosmira fedele (2003) at the Opéra de Nice. He returned to Nice in 2007 for Handel’s Teseo, followed by Alessandro Scarlatti’s Il Tigrane in 2012. His interest in historically informed staging led to his ongoing work in reconstructing original sets and costumes for Mozart’s operas, including Don Giovanni (Prague Estates Theatre, 2006 and 2016) and Le nozze di Figaro (Opéra de Nice, 2008).

Opera Director of Boston Early Music Festival

Gilbert Blin’s association with the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) began in 2001 with his direction of Lully’s Thésée for the Tanglewood Festival. His successful collaboration with BEMF led to his appointment as Stage Director in Residence in 2008, and he became Opera Director in 2013.

Blin has worked closely with Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, the festival’s musical co-directors, on numerous productions, blending his expertise in historically informed staging with their musical direction. Together, they have produced critically acclaimed works, including Lully’s Psyché (2007), Steffani’s Niobe, Regina di Tebe (2011) , Orlando generoso (2019), and Handel’s Almira (2013), all noted for their authenticity and attention to Baroque performance practices.

In 2008, Blin inaugurated the BEMF Chamber Opera Series with Blow’s Venus and Adonis and Charpentier’s Actéon. Other successful productions in the series include Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (2010) and Handel’s Acis and Galatea (2009), which toured the U.S. and Canada. His 2011 production of Charpentier’s La Couronne de Fleurs and La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers was recorded with O’Dette and Stubbs, later winning a Grammy Award.

Blin’s staging of the “Monteverdi Trilogy” — L’incoronazione di Poppea (2009), Orfeo (2012), and Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (2015) — was another highlight of his work at BEMF. More recent productions include Francesca Caccini’s Alcina (2018) and Telemann’s Pimpinone (2021).

In 2022, Blin, O’Dette, and Stubbs collaborated on Lully’s Idylle sur la Paix and Charpentier’s La Fête de Rueil, with performances in Boston, Miami, and New York. In 2023, they followed this with Desmarest’s Circé and Lampe’s The Dragon of Wantley.

Recent Productions: Slovak National Theatre and Confidencen Festival

In 2023, Gilbert Blin added to his diverse operatic repertoire with his direction of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. This production highlighted his ability to navigate both Italian and French operatic traditions, showcasing his skill in bel canto opera.

Later in 2023, Blin returned to his Baroque roots, directing Rameau’s Dardanus for the Confidencen Opera & Music Festival in Stockholm. This production further solidified his reputation as a specialist in French Baroque opera, continuing his focus on historically informed performance practices.

Academic Background and Research

Gilbert Blin holds a PhD from Leiden University, where he worked under the supervision of Professors Ton Koopman and Frans de Ruiter. His dissertation, titled The Reflections of Memory, explores cognitive approaches to historically informed staging. Blin’s research in this area has led to teaching and lecturing roles at renowned institutions including the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, Université de Paris-Sorbonne, and The Juilliard School of Music in New York.

This extended version of the Boston Early Music Festival section provides a detailed overview of Blin’s work, emphasizing his long-term association with this organisation, specific productions, and his contributions to historically informed performance.

Productions overview ⇒