Habib Azar

Biography

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A seven-time Emmy Award-winning producer and director, Habib Azar’s career is distinguished by its wide aesthetic range and energetic style. He directed his first network television broadcast at age 22 and has contributed in fields as diverse as feature film, contemporary opera and live multi-camera broadcasts. His first feature film, Armless, was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and his second feature film, Saint Janet, stars Tony-winner Kelly Bishop, and was distributed by IndieRights.

As one of the leading multi-camera performing arts directors and producers working today, Habib Azar regularly films the world’s greatest musical artists. He is a series regular director for the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD series, Live from Lincoln Center and The All Star Orchestra. He was also the executive producer of the New York Philharmonic’s live broadcast series in 2016-2019, scripting and directing shows with host Terrence McKnight. Habib also regularly directs webcasts from Carnegie Hall for Medici.TV.

On the stage Habib has lately focused on contemporary opera. His recent stage production of Georg Friedrich Haas’ Atthis was called “mesmerizing” and “one of the most revealing operatic performances in recent times” by the New York Times. He directed the world premiere of the chamber version of Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone, an opera that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He has directed productions and performances for many of the leading contemporary music ensembles of today, including the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) and Opera Cabal.

A native of Philadelphia and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, where he earned degrees in directing (from theSchool of Drama) and musical composition (from the School of Music), Habib Azar lives in New York City.

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Press Quotes

"Watching a socially-distanced BSO through Azar's lens is a kinetic experience, even though the musicians are seated."

WBUR The ARTery

"In Habib Azar’s mesmerizing production for Opera Cabal, conducted by Peyman Farzinpour, it became a vehicle for Ms. Greif’s raw, no-holds-barred performance."

The New York Times

"Further credit, however, goes to Habib Azar, who directed Ms. Blain-Cruz’s staging for the screen with unobtrusive virtuosity."

The Wall Street Journal
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