Francisco Negrin (Spanish: Francisco Negrín, born June 5, 1963)[1] is a creative director working in opera, as well as in the world of stadium and arena based shows and other events. He is considered to be one of the best directors in the world.[2] He is known for his musical[1] and cinematic approach,[3] and for his success with projects considered to be difficult to stage. In opera, he is seen as a specialist of both baroque[4] and contemporary music and his work in all media is characterised by a highly integrated use of dance and technology as part of the dramaturgy and a keen understanding of the culture being treated.
Biography
Negrin was born in Mexico City, the son of Spaniard Francisco Negrín Díaz and Greek-Hawaiian Catherine Negrín (née Maggioros). He is the great-grandson of Juan Negrín López, President of the Second Spanish Republic. When he was 9 years old, the family moved from Mexico to the family home in Antibes, France.[5]
After completing his secondary studies at the Lycée in Antibes (graduating with a mathematics and physics Baccalaureate), Negrin studied literature and film at the university of Aix-en-Provence, France,[5] while attending singing lessons at the Conservatoire d'Aix-en-Provence, where he was first in contact with the world of opera. He worked as an extra and later as an assistant director and stage manager at the Aix-en-Provence Festival (1982–83). There he met Swiss stage director François Rochaix [fr], who became his mentor and teacher. Negrin assisted him on many productions, including Seattle Opera's Ring cycle. Rochaix introduced him to the artist agent Lies Askonas. She recommended Negrin to Gerard Mortier who hired him as a staff assistant director at La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels for two seasons (1984-1986).[6] There he continued to learn his trade assisting the directors Patrice Chéreau,[4]Karl-Ernst Herrmann [de], John Cox and Maurice Béjart. After leaving La Monnaie in 1986, Negrin moved to London where he started his career as a director. He has lived in Spain since 2003.[1]
Career
Negrin and conductor Peter Ash put together a performing version of the unfinished La chute de la maison Usher by Debussy, which they staged at Christ Church, Spitalfields, in London. This performance came to the attention of the Southbank Centre which commissioned a production of the reconstruction for the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1989. That was the start of an international directing career which, in opera, includes the following productions:
Opera productions
The Snow Queen. World premiere at the Royal Danish Opera, staged by Francisco Negrin, October 2019. Photo by Francisco NegrinThaïs. Theater Bonn, May 2014. Photo by Francisco NegrinRinaldo. Chicago Lyric Opera, 2012. Photo by Francisco NegrinSalome. Palau de les Arts in Valencia, 2010. Photo by Bruno PoetL'arbore di Diana. Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona 2009. Photo by Ariane Unfried
AIMAG 2017 Opening ceremony, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Photo by Francisco Negrin
In 2024, negrin was the creative director for three special concerts celebrating Andrea Bocelli’s 30 years of career, at the Teatro del Silenzio in Tuscany, featuring stars from music and screen including as Ed Sheeran, Jon Batiste, Will Smith, Brian May, Johnny Depp, Plácido Domingo, Josep Carreras, Shania Twain and more. A feature film of the shows, directed by Sam Wrench was released in worldwide cinemas, Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration[7]
From 2020 to 2023 has co-directed together with Es Devlin and Gavin Robins 4 monumental shows for the 49th to 52nd Union day Celebrations in the UAE.
In 2021 Negrin wrote and directed a new production for Holiday on Ice: A New Day. The tour was stopped by COVID lockdowns and postponed to 2022.[8] The show then completed a second tour in 2024, of France this time, under the title Aurore.
In 2020 Francisco Negrin directed the tableau vivant for Louis Vuitton’s Paris fashion week autumn/winter womenswear show.[9]
Francisco Negrin has been a creative consultant for Balich Worldwide Shows, for whom he has conceived stadium, arena and other commercial events and shows.
Negrin worked with the rock band OK Go, conceiving the staging for a performance at London's The Roundhouse, using an installation by architect Ron Arad called Curtain Call.[12] But the show was cancelled before opening.
Television and DVD
The following productions have been broadcast on TV: Venus, Les contes d'Hoffman, Una cosa rara (Drottninholm version), Una cosa rara (Valencia version) and Intimissimi on ice 2014 and 2105 were both broadcast in Italy and Spain.
The following productions have been released on DVD: I puritani (DVD and Blu-ray),[13]L'arbore di Diana,[14]Giulio Cesare (Sydney version),[15]Giulio Cesare (Copenhagen version),[16]Partenope (Copenhagen version),[17]Norma (Barcelona version)[18] and Il Trovatore (Macerata version).[19]
Awards
Negrin's production of Orlando at The Royal Opera House in London was nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards in 2004: "Best new opera production" and "Outstanding achievement in opera" (for Bejun Mehta).[20]
His production of Giulio Cesare for Opera Australia won several Green Room Awards in 1995, including best opera director and best opera production.
Negrin's second production of Giulio Cesare, the one for the Royal Danish opera in Copenhagen, won the Årets Reumert [dk] Award for best opera production in 2003, while Negrin's production of Partenope for the same company was nominated for the award in 2009.[21]
