Lucy Arner
Music Director, Edythe Bates Old Moores Opera Center

e-mail: larner@uh.edu
office: MSM 188
office phone: (713)743-3159
address: 120 School of Music Bldg, Houston, TX 77204-4017

Conductor Lucy Arner brings to the podium and to her position as Music Director of the Moores Opera Center a special affinity for Italian and French opera that is enhanced by her vast experience working in some of the world's greatest opera houses, such as the Liceo in Barcelona and the Metropolitan Opera.

Lucy Arner made her professional debut in 1996 conducting Puccini's Suor Angelica and Menotti's The Telephone at the Teatro Mancinelli in Orvieto, Italy. Ms. Arner has conducted opera and concerts in the United States, Italy, Israel and South America. She was appointed Artistic Director of the New York Chamber Opera in November 2000, making her debut with the company conducting an exciting and controversial production of Britten's Rape of Lucretia. Under her direction, the Chamber Opera  carved out a unique niche in New York's operatic landscape, presenting Donizetti's Il Campanello, Seymour Barab's Not a Spanish Kiss and Fortune's Favorites, and the recent sold-out run of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in "a novel, timely interpretation by the innovative New York Chamber Opera led by gifted conductor Lucy Arner," as described by Time Out Magazine.

Ms. Arner made her South American debut in Lima, Perú with a new production of Puccini's Madame Butterfly in 2001, followed by Verdi's Il Trovatore and Puccini's Tosca. As reviewed in Lima's El Comercio, "Lucy Arner conducted the orchestra revealing impeccable technique as well as a profound knowledge of the style and the score." She made her New York City Opera debut conducting scenes from Richard Danielpour's new opera Margaret Garner for the 2004 VOX Composer's Showcase and led what ProOpera Magazine described as "an elegant reading of Mozart's Magic Flute for Mexico's Festival Internacional Tamaulipas.

Other recent engagements include Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore and Don Pasquale in Tel Aviv, a double bill of Pagliacci and Suor Angelica for New Zealand's Canterbury Opera, and Puccini's La Bohéme in Castres, France, performances of Le Nozze di Figaro in Italy for Opera Ischia and Cosí fan tutte for Opera Naples, and conducted a gala concert featuring Metropolitan Opera soprano Cynthia Lawrence in Lima, Perú.  An active pianist as well as a conductor, her most recent concert work includes recitals with Dutch baritone Hans-Pieter Herrman at Hunter College and Columbia University, and with mezzo Nancy Herrera and soprano Aprile Millo in Spain.  During the summer of 2008, Ms. Arner joined director Ira Siff in Tanglewood where they prepared a program of opera scenes with the young singers of the Music Center at the invitation of Maestro James Levine.  Her long and hilarious collaboration with Madame Vera Galupe-Borschkh (also known as Ira Siff) began in 2001, and she has since appeared regularly as Maestro Sergio Zawa in La Gran Scena's Annual Farewell Recitals and many benefit appearances.  A DVD of the Farewell recital was released commercially by VAI.

Lucy Arner was a member of the Metropolitan Opera's music staff from 1994 through the 2007-08 season.  Specializing in Italian repertory, she was featured as the recitative accompanist in productions of Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Handel's Giulio Cesare and Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore as well as preparing several Met telecasts such as Giordano's Fedora with Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo, the Anthony Minghella production of Madama Butterfly, Verdi's Macbeth, and Bellini's I Putritani with Anna Netrebko. Ms. Arner was quoted extensively about her experiences with Montserrat Caballé in the November 2002 Opera News cover article about the great Spanish soprano.   

Born in Cuba, Lucy Arner began her musical studies at the age of twelve. She attended Baldwin-Wallace College and Indiana University, receiving Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees and continued her doctoral studies at the University of Miami.