Opera, theater, and festival director Peter Sellars has gained international renown for his groundbreaking and transformative interpretations of artistic masterpieces, and for his collaborative projects with an extraordinary range of creative artists. He has established a reputation for bringing twentieth-century and contemporary operas to the stage and has been a driving force in the creation of many new works. Sellars has led several major international arts festivals. He is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles; the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Erasmus Prize, the Gish Prize, and the Polar Music Prize; and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2010 he served as theater mentor to the young Lebanese director Maya Zbib as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.
