George Cederquist
George is the Producing Artistic Director of Chicago Fringe Opera, called “the city’s alt-opera company” by the Chicago Tribune. Recent directing credits for the company include A Christmas Carol and La Jeteè, as well as the company’s long-running hit show The Rosalina Project, a Hip-Hop adaptation of The Barber of Seville.
In addition, George has directed new productions, digital works, and scenes with Catapult Opera/NYC, Opera Festival of Chicago, Chicago Dramatists, the Chicago Sinfonietta, Pittsburgh Opera, the Bay View Music Festival, Chicago Folks Operetta, Wolf Trap Opera, and Chautauqua Opera.
An inspiring mentor, George is the Theatre Department Chair and Artistic Director of Opera at North Park University, and has taught at Northwestern University, DePaul University, and Roosevelt University/CCPA.
Now in its ninth season, George hosts Opera Box Score, America’s Talk Radio Show About Opera, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and WNUR 89.3 FM Chicago. The show tackles the week’s opera headlines in an irreverent sports talk radio format.
George is the recipient of the 2022 Best Music Video Award at the Aladerri International Film Festival for CORSAIR, as well as two American Prizes in Directing, Opera America’s 2013 Director-Designer competition, and a German Chancellor Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
George’s training includes residencies with Pittsburgh Opera, the Merola Opera Program, and Wolf Trap Opera, and two improvisation intensives at the Annoyance Theatre. He holds an MFA in Directing from Northwestern and a BA in Theatre Studies and English from Yale. George is a member of Steep Theatre Company and the American Guild of Musical Artists, and is a dual US-UK citizen.
George lives in Chicago with his wife, their two children, their cat, and their six chickens.
To learn more about George, visit gjcederquist.com. He proudly uses zero social media platforms.
Steep Productions
Lakeboat
Bang The Drum Slowly
The Night Heron
Catch-22
Dealer’s Choice
Pvt. Wars
