Mo Zhou

Chinese-born director Mo Zhou creates bold, boundary-pushing opera and theater. A University of Michigan faculty member, she revitalizes classics while championing new works. Trained at Juilliard, Merola Opera Program, and Glimmerglass Festival, she has served on directing staff with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, and Dallas Opera. Her productions have appeared at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Elbphilharmonie, and China's National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Recent highlights include Madama Butterfly (Virginia Opera/Florentine Opera/Kentucky Opera), La bohème (Arizona Opera), and Così fan tutte (Virginia Opera/Juilliard). This season features her Canadian debut with Madama Butterfly (Vancouver Opera), as well as Don Giovanni (Music Academy of the West). Upcoming productions include Madama Butterfly for Arizona Opera, Opera Colorado, and Calgary Opera, alongside her role as guest artistic director at Opera Grand Rapids.

Her La Calisto (Glimmerglass) and Iphigénie en Tauride (Boston Baroque) demonstrate artistic daring, while Rinaldo (Minnesota Opera) was named 2022’s top performance by the StarTribune. An OPERA America Women Conductor and Stage Director grant recipient and Tobin Director-Designers Showcase winner, she mentors and champions young artists at HGO Butler Studio and Lyric Opera's Ryan Center. Zhou holds an MFA from Columbia University and a BA from Bowdoin College.