Famed conductor Daniel Oren joins Tbilisi opera as musical director, set for shows in Georgian capital

Daniel Oren, one of the most acclaimed contemporary conductors, will lead two opera performances at the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre next month, as the famed artist is set to become musical director of the venue in 2018.

Oren will be in Tbilisi to conduct a double bill of Opera Fantasy, a program involving overtures and pieces from opera classics, on January 16 and 18.

Featuring pieces from works including Il trovatore, La traviata and Carmen, the two evenings will feature Tbilisi theatre’s orchestra and choir.

See Daniel Oren conduct a performance of 'Don Giovanni' at Arena di Verona in 2012 below:

The shows will mark the start of Oren’s work as musical director of the state theatre venue of Georgia.

Artistic Director of the Teatro Verdi in Salerno, Italy, Oren has conducted at famed venues including the Vienna Staatsoper, the Royal Opera House and New York’s Metropolitan.

Praised as "the greatest interpreter of [Giuseppe] Verdi” by the Tbilisi theatre, Oren has led orchestras in performances of the Italian composer’s repertoire including Rigoletto, Aida and Nabucco.

The Jaffa-born conductor has also worked at the Israeli Opera, Teatro dell’Opera in Rome and Arena di Verona. He has released recordings with labels including Decca and Arthaus Musik.

Oren's collaboration with Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre comes in the wake of a new international cooperation program of the theatre, launched last month.

The program is part of a new four-year project of the venue's administration that involves shows involving established and upcoming artists in Tbilisi.