Lisbon's Teatro Nacional de São Carlos Names New Artistic Director

Ivan van Kalmthout will step into the role in July 2023

Ivan van Kalmthout will step into the Artistic Director role for the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, in Lisbon, Portugal, and oversee the closure of the opera house for refurbishment as well as its reopening to the public in 2026.

Van Kalmthout has rich experience working in European opera houses, including as Artistic Director of the Staastoper Unter den Linden (Berlin) and Deputy Artistic Director and later Interim Artistic Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona). 

He has also amassed considerable experience as a jury member at various singing competitions — for instance, he was General Director of the International Vocal Competitions Hertogenbosch and was also Executive Director of the Mahogany Opera Group.

Initially studying business administration at the University of Nyenrode in the Netherlands, Van Kalmthout then trained as an impresario with Pieter Alferink, he then held positions with the Vlaamse Opera, the Staatsoper Hamburg, the Liceu of Barcelona, and the Staatsoper im Schiller Theater.

Five other candidates — Conceição Amaral, Delfim Sardo, Nuno Carinhas, Rui Morais and Rui Vieira Nery — were considered for the role, but van Kalmthout was praised for his "programmatic presentation for the reality of the coming years, allied with a solid curriculum and his long experience of artistic direction, management and programming in artistic organizations."