Co-Artistic Director, Opera Atelier
Marshall Pynkoski’s fascination with music, theatre and dance of the 17th and 18th centuries began in classes with the late Leonard Crainford and John Marshall, respectively Chairman and Major Examiner, Royal Academy of Dancing in London. His further studies with Florentina Lojekova (Master Artist of the Czech Republic) and David Moroni (the Royal Winnipeg Ballet) were pivotal in his decision to pursue a career as a dancer and director.
Early in Mr. Pynkoski’s professional career, he had the opportunity to undertake in-depth studies of baroque opera and ballet in Paris. His studies continued with renowned baroque dramaturge Professor Dene Barnett at Flinders University in South Australia.
In 1985 he founded Opera Atelier with his partner Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg and he has since directed a wide range of period productions of baroque and early classical opera and ballet in close collaboration with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. He has acted as a guest instructor at the Centre for Baroque Studies, Versailles under conductor Marc Minkowski and has collaborated with many of the finest artists in the world of early music.
His productions of opera and ballet have toured throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He is a recipient of numerous awards including the Toronto Arts Award, the Ruby Award for outstanding contribution to opera in Canada, and the TIME Magazine award for Classical music and he has been named Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France.
In 2013, Mr. Pynkoski had his Salzburg Festival debut with Mozart’s Lucio Silla and in 2015 made his directorial debut at La Scala in Milan. In August 2018, he was joined by OA’s entire creative team to direct and open a new production of Rossini’s Ricciardo e Zoraide for the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy. Mr. Pynkoski was awarded the Order of Canada in 2018.
In 2019 and 2021, he directed Grétry’s Richard Coeur-de-Lion for the Royal Opera House, Versailles. In 2021, he was made an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the government of France. In 2022, he directed Grétry’s La Caravane du Caire for the Opéra de Tours as well as for the Opéra Royal in Versailles. Most recently, he directed the internationally acclaimed production of Charpentier’s David et Jonathas for the Royal Chapel of the Château de Versailles.
Most recently, he directed La Caravane du Caire at the Opéra Royal in Versailles and David et Jonathas at the Potsdam Music Festival in Germany.