Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

Mo Zhou is a versatile director whose career encompasses opera, theater, dance, and film. As a faculty member at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, she is dedicated to revitalizing the classical canon while championing new and innovative works. Her artistic endeavors have been showcased by esteemed companies, including Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China, Santa Fe Opera, and Minnesota Opera.

In the 2023/24 Season, Zhou directs the World Premiere of The Big Swim at Houston Grand Opera, further cementing her reputation as a trailblazing AAPI artist in the industry. She also directs Madame Butterfly at Virginia Opera and Florentine Opera, Tosca with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and La Calisto at the Glimmerglass Festival.

Highlights from the 2022/23 Season include a sold-out run of Rinaldo at Minnesota Opera, selected by the StarTribune as one of the top 10 best classical music events of 2022. Her innovative production of Iphigénie en Tauride' with Boston Baroque was streamed globally on IDAGIO and received widespread acclaim, including a special mention in Forbes. She also conceived and directed La Bohème at the Music Academy in Santa Barbara, set during the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City.

Zhou has worked as part of the directing staff at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and other renowned institutions. Her passion for artistic growth and development led her to prominent directing fellowships at The Juilliard School, Wolf Trap Opera, WP Theater, Merola Opera Program, and The Glimmerglass Festival. Notably, she was honored with the prestigious OPERA America Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Prize and received the 2023 OPERA America Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors for her directing debut with Boston Baroque.

Her expertise extends to the realm of education, as she has taught at institutions including Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, and NYU. She holds a B.A. in English and theater from Bowdoin College, an M.F.A. in stage directing from Columbia University, and a certificate in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University.

Zhou's multifaceted background, from her formal training to her extensive experience in various artistic disciplines, has shaped her into a dynamic force within the opera industry. Her commitment to pushing boundaries and fostering artistic excellence continues to have a profound impact on the global stage.