Daniel Helfgot is an internationally known director whose credits add up to over 170 opera productions from the Baroque to the contemporary, including several world premieres. His productions have been seen in Germany, Argentina, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico City and Austria. His directorial work in the US include the opera companies of Virginia, Baltimore, Memphis, Eugene, Sacramento, etc. From 1982 through 2000, Helfgot worked as Resident Stage Director and Director of Production for Opera San JosČ where he created over 60 productions including several world premieres. He is the author of The Third Line, The Singer as Interpreter, recently re-released in paperback as well as the author of the libretto for the opera "The Tale of the Nutcracker" with music by Craig Bohmler(1999). He frequently translates opera libretti and dialogue from Italian, Spanish, German and French for English and Spanish titles, and his extensive teaching experience includes such institutions as the Music Academy of the West, Stanford University, San Francisco Conservatory, National Academy of the Arts (Taiwan), Teatro Colon, and a guest professorship at the Musikhochschule in Vienna. Currently, Mr. Helfgot is the Director of Opera at the University of Missouri, Kansas City and the Director of the Middle America Opera Apprentice Program.