Born in Hamburg, Germany, Christina Scheppelmann has held artistic leadership positions in four countries on three continents. She has been the General Director of Seattle Opera since 2019 and is General and Artistic Director designate at La Monnaie in Brussels, beginning her mandate there in the summer of 2025.
Her passion for the art form and interest to see it flourish into the future led her to create developmental forums for composers and librettists at both Seattle Opera (Creation Lab) and Washington National Opera (American Opera Initiative), bridging the gap between conservatory training and full-length commissions, and to provide a showcase for new and experimental short works at the opera house in Barcelona (OFFLiceu).
Christina Scheppelmann began her career in the arts early-on performing in the children’s choir of the Hamburg State Opera. After completing a degree in banking, she left her home country of Germany to work in an Artist Management agency in Milan. Fluent in five languages, she quickly became known for her communication skills and was soon offered a job in arts administration at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, her first tenure there. In 1994 she was recruited by Lotfi Mansouri to assist him at San Francisco Opera where, as one of the youngest artistic administrators at the time, she continued her work in artistic planning and operation, hiring singers, conductors, directors and designers. As Director of Artistic Operations at Washington National Opera, Christina oversaw the artistic planning for 11 years.
In 2012, she was named the first Director General of the Royal Opera House Muscat (Oman), the first theater of its kind in the Gulf region, where her mission was to present high-quality artists, music, opera, and dance from around the world. Under her leadership, ROHM established an excellent reputation as a cultural destination in Oman and opened doors for international musical and cultural relations. Prior to Christina Scheppelmann’s arrival in Seattle, she served as the Artistic Director General at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, a position she held from 2015-2019, during which time she was responsible for programming, casting, and overall artistic direction.
Christina Scheppelmann was awarded the rank of Commendatore in the Order of the Star of Solidarity by the Italian government for her career-long work promoting opera and Italian culture. She also served as the Vice President for the board of Opera Europa, the professional organization of opera houses and festivals in Europe. A long-time champion of young artists, Christina has led masterclasses, lectured at management and artist training programs, and judged vocal competitions around the world, continuing her goal to keep opera and classical music relevant into the future.
