Matt Cooksey is an operatic stage director based in Tampa, FL. He most recently served as the Resident Assistant Director of the Indianapolis Opera during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He assistant-directed three productions, programmed five performances in a series called Sundays at the Basile, and directed four operas for elementary school audiences. In the 2019-20 season, they premiered his two newest operas for young people, The Three Sillies and The Tails of Cats and Mice. Two major projects were cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19, including work as the Assistant Director for Don Giovanni and his professional main stage premiere as the leading director in Brundibar/Vedem. The latter production is due to be remounted in 2021.

In the summer of 2019, Cooksey worked for the Opera NEO festival based in San Diego, CA. While there, he assistant-directed their production of La Calisto and was a production assistant for La Cenerentola and Eugene Onegin.

Cooksey has written a handful of musical revues, pastiches, and operatic adaptations, including shows for school-age and general audiences. In addition to his work as a director and writer, he has designed or ran lights for most of his productions since 2018.

Matt is a graduate of Indiana University (BM in Vocal Performance [‘12]) and Florida State University (MM in Performance [‘16] and Opera Production [‘18]).

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For more information about Matt’s past endeavors as a singer, please click here.