Director

Christian Hey

Madama Butterfly

Biography

Christian Hey is an emerging opera director, based in both London and Cardif. He was assistant director in Irish National Opera’s production of Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade. His playful yet meticulous cross-disciplinary approach to opera is informed by his background as a set and costume designer and in theatre-making. He graduated from The David Seligman Opera School at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2024, in MA Opera Directing, and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2021, in BA (Hons) Performance Design. His recent work includes: director, Faggot Opera (A Plays Without Décor Creative Residency at Wilton’s Music Hall); assistant director, Gazzaniga’s Alcina’s Island(Bampton Classical Opera); assistant director, Et Voilà!! (National Opera Studio, Welsh National Opera Residency); director, Handel’s The Choice of Hercules (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama); director, A Perfectly Ordinary Recital (Atmospheres Festival, Cardi!); director, Remote from Tumult (Sands Films Music Room); director, Weill’s The Threepenny Opera and Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera (RWCMD ); assistant director, Poulenc’s The Dialogues of the Carmelites (RWCMD). Christian has designed sets and costumes for Cavalli’s L’Egisto (Hampstead Garden Opera); Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie (Grimeborn Opera Festival); Cavalli’s Xerse (Grimeborn Opera Festival); Handel’s Alcina (John McIntosh Arts Centre) and worked as a design assistant across opera and theatre. Additionally, Christian enjoys taking on climate and transgender advocacy roles within opera: creating learning materials for BBC Symphony Chorus, Aloud! Choirs, The Carbon Literacy Project; and leading events for LGBT+ Community Production Company Lone Worlds. Christian is also a trustee of Music Theatre Wales.

October 2025