In August 2011 Kasper Holten was appointed Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In 2000 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Opera. At the age of 27 he was then the youngest ever Artistic Director of a national opera house in... Read more
In August 2011 Kasper Holten was appointed Director of Opera at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London.
In 2000 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Opera. At the age of 27 he was then the youngest ever Artistic Director of a national opera house in the world. He continued to lead the Royal Danish Opera for 11 years, and has been recognised by international critics for leading the Royal Danish Opera into the league of major opera houses in Europe after heading the opening of the new Opera House in Copenhagen in 2005.
Kasper Holten has continued to work as a stage director with more than 60 productions of opera, drama, musicals and operetta behind him in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Latvia, France, Russia, Austria and the US. In 2010 his first feature film, JUAN, opened at several international film festivals
As a keynote speaker, Kasper Holten focuses on personal leadership. As a stage director he knows he must make each singer deliver an outstanding and unique performance, but at the same time he must make them work within the concept of a joint vision together with their colleagues. His talks cover themes such as leadership, creativity, collaboration and talent management.
He uses tools such as storytelling, passion, inspiration and commitment to make performers go beyond their own boundaries and perform at the highest levels. The leader’s main tool for this is his personality and his ability and courage to use it.
Kaspar Holten outlines his personal vision: “Today, employees at all levels of organisations challenge the role of the leader. There is no automatic authority. The old manager is dead – and with him the management tools developed by and for him. To succeed, today’s leader demands of his employees that they are creative individuals, who challenge all dogma and routine. But as a result he might find that they act like prima donnas – and challenge the leadership as well. A new leadership must emerge. A leader must also inspire everyone in the company, from the singers and performers to the stage technicians.”
Kasper Holten’s commitment and enthusiasm is catching and essential for his particular value-based and personal leadership style. His experience as a world leader in the creative arts has inspired audiences in their search for modern leadership.