KATE GUELKE
OPERA AND THEATRE DIRECTOR
ABOUT
Kate Guelke is a Northern Irish opera director. She is a current recipient of the Arts Council of Ireland’s Opera Bursary and is researching community opera models as part of her residency with An Grianan Theatre.
As the Artistic Director of Spark Opera, Kate has directed and produced full-scale opera classics, pop up opera, opera for children, community opera, music theatre and new opera shorts. Her work has garnered the company an Allianz Business Branding nomination (Operation Fun), a National Lottery Northern Irish Arts Award and National Finalist/Shortlist nomination (Requiem for the Disappeared), a Boston Contempo Arts Festival Director’s Choice Award (Science) and a Student Entrepreneurs of the Year Award (Bright Sparks), in addition to critical acclaim in the local and national press.
As a freelance director Kate has directed and assistant directed over a dozen productions for NI Opera, the Belfast Ensemble, Aachen Opera, Den Jyske Opera, the Yorke Trust and Queen’s University Music Department. She has assistant directed Oliver Mears (ROH), Isabella Bywater (DJO), Rachel O’Riordan (Sherman Theatre Cardiff), Joan Rechi (Aachen Opera) and Walter Sutcliffe (NI Opera).
Kate is a former MAKE artist with Theatre Forum Ireland and ACE award winner with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
She recently directed 'If You Can Find Me' for NI Opera - a touring children's show with NI Opera's studio artists written by Judith Wiemers - and 'La Donna Abbandonata' for Spark Opera, a one act entertainment for the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival featuring soprano Marielle Murphy.
Kate is currently the director of 'La Dirindina' also for NI Opera Studio and the creative producer for 'Pamplemousse' with NI Opera.