Alan E. Hicks

Following several years as a professional singer and teaching stints at the internationally acclaimed Actors Studio Drama School and American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Dr. Alan E. Hicks turned his attention to stage direction winning awards and garnering praise from critics and audiences alike.

Recent directing engagements include Tosca, Aida, When I See Your Face Again, and All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 for San Diego Opera; L'Amant Anonyme, La Verbena de la Paloma, The Seven Deadly Sins (film), Flight,and RE: Euridice/Orfeo for San Diego State University; Die Zauberflöte for OpernFest Berlin, La Clemenza di Tito for Music Academy International (Italy); Ariadne auf Naxos for Minnesota Opera; L'Elisir d'Amore for Opera Santa Barbara; Albert Herring, The Seven Deadly Sins,and Die Zauberflöte for Shenandoah University; Albert Herring and The Turn of the Screw for Miami Music Festival; and L'Amico Fritz and L'Italiana in Algeri for the University of Houston. He has also directed productions for Palm Beach Opera, Tulsa Opera, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Green Mountain Opera Festival, Opera in the Ozarks, Center City Opera Theater, Sugar Creek Opera, the Austro-American Mozart Academy, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Iowa.

Dr. Hicks has worked alongside such venerable operatic performers as Stephanie Blythe, Lawrence Brownlee, Renée Fleming, Greer Grimsley, Kate Lindsey, Silvia McNair, Erin Morley, Marcelo Puente, Frederica von Stade, Carl Tanner, and Thomas Hampson as well as rising stars Michelle Bradley, Samantha Hankey, Brenda Rae, Hannah Hipp, Brian Jagde, Pene Pati, Amber Wagner, and Nadine Sierra. Additionally, he has assisted renowned opera directors Michael Cavanagh, Chris Alexander, Linda Brovsky, Jay Lesenger, Matthew Ozawa, Peter Kazaras, and Broadway veterans Susan Stroman and Sam Buntrock. Dr. Hicks has served on the directing staffs of Central City Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Michigan Opera Theatre, New York City Opera, San Diego Opera, Seattle Opera, and Tulsa Opera. From 2018-2023, Dr. Hicks served as the first Resident Stage Director at San Diego Opera, and from 2013-2015, he was the Director of the Emerging Artist Program at Green Mountain Opera Festival.

In addition to his work at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Actors Studio Drama School, Dr. Hicks has served on the faculties of San Diego State University, the University of Houston, the University of Iowa, and Sam Houston State University. His students and young artists have gone on to perform on Broadway, in National and International tours, on television, in major motion pictures, and with major opera companies (including current young artists at Bayerische Staatsoper, Glimmerglass Opera, Kentucky Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Wolf Trap Opera).

A published author on subjects including acting, auditioning, and education, his book, Singer and Actor: Acting Technique and the Operatic Performer, was published in 2011 by Amadeus Press with a second edition due in 2024. He has also published articles in Classical Singer Magazine and on Hal Leonard's online theatrical blog, Onstage and Backstage.

Of Costa Rican-American descent, Dr. Hicks holds degrees in Music Education, Vocal Performance, and Opera Directing from Mississippi State University, Rice University, and The University of Texas at Austin (respectively).