The Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition

American Conductor Craig Kier has received high praise for his “Tesla-like intensity” and “impeccable orchestral support” while leading performances throughout the United States and on international stages.

Maestro Kier was appointed Artistic and Music Director of the Annapolis Opera in 2020 and has been the Director of the Maryland Opera Studio (MOS) since 2014. Productions since the beginning of his tenure with MOS have included Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, Così fan tutte, La finta giardiniera, and La clemenza di Tito, Handel’s Ariodante, Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Blitzstein’s Regina, Rossini’s L’occasione fa il ladro, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Britten’s The Rape of Lucretiaand Owen Wingrave, Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites.

Kier’s 2022-2023 season includes productions of Puccini’s La bohème, Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars, and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Annapolis Opera. He also leads productions of La bohème, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up with Maryland Opera Studio and returns to Brevard Music Center. Future seasons include debuts with Opera Columbus and Knoxville Opera. Last season, he led Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and John Musto’s Later the Same Evening with the Maryland Opera Studio and La cenerentola and Into the Woods with Annapolis Opera. In the 2019-2020 season, he led Tosca with Annapolis Opera, was scheduled to return to the Brevard Music Center to conduct their season opening concert and Die Enführung aus dem Serail, returned to Houston Ballet to lead gala performances and The Nutcracker, which he has done since 2011, and continued his association with the National Symphony Orchestra, assisting Gianandrea Noseda. In the 2018-2019 season, he made his San Francisco Merola Opera Center debut, Indianapolis Opera debut, and returned to Opera Birmingham and Houston Ballet. At the University of Maryland, he served as Artistic Director of the year-long Kurt Weill Festival, conducting performances of The Road of Promise, Mahagonny Songspiel, and Street Scene.

Recent season highlights include conducting debuts with Wolf Trap Opera leading Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Brevard Opera Center leading La cenerentola, Anchorage Opera leading Don Pasquale, Arizona Opera leading Madama Butterfly, and Opera Saratoga leading Verdi’s Falstaff.

From 2010-2013, Kier was Associate Conductor under Patrick Summers at Houston Grand Opera. During his time with the company he led dozens of performances including Madama Butterfly, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Fledermaus, Trial by Jury and the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s Bound. Additional guest engagements for Kier include La bohème with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Il barbiere di Siviglia with Atlanta Opera, Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars with the Glimmerglass Festival, The Sound of Music with Central City Opera, Thomas’ Hamlet and La Traviata with Opera Birmingham, L’italiani in Algeri with Opera Santa Barbara, and The Music Man at Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman.