Elijah Moshinsky facts for kids

Elijah Moshinsky (born 1946, died 2021) was a famous Australian director. He directed operas, plays, and TV shows for big places like the Royal Opera House in London and BBC Television. He was known for his creative and successful productions.

Early Life and Education

Elijah's parents were Jewish and came from Russia. They had to leave their home and moved to Shanghai, China, where Elijah was born. When he was five years old, his family moved to Melbourne, Australia.

Moving to Australia

Elijah went to Camberwell High School in Melbourne. Later, he studied at the University of Melbourne. While he was a student, he even played the flute for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Discovering Directing

In 1965, Elijah helped design the sets for a play called The Trial. A few years later, in 1969, he directed a play called Krapp's Last Tape. After finishing his studies in Melbourne, he won a special scholarship in 1973 to study at St Antony's College, Oxford in England. There, he learned about a writer named Alexander Herzen.

While still at Oxford, Elijah directed a play called As You Like It. A very important person from the Royal Opera House in London saw his play. This person, Sir John Tooley, was so impressed that he offered Elijah a job as a director for the opera house.

A Career in Opera

In 1975, Elijah Moshinsky directed his first opera at the Royal Opera House. It was a very successful production of Peter Grimes. This show was so popular that it was also performed in Paris, Milan, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.

Directing Famous Operas

Elijah directed many other famous operas at the Royal Opera House, including Lohengrin, The Rake's Progress, and Aida. He also directed Otello with the famous singer Plácido Domingo.

He directed operas at many other major opera houses around the world. At the Metropolitan Opera in New York, he directed Samson et Dalila and The Queen of Spades. For the Lyric Opera of Chicago, he directed The Bartered Bride and The Pirates of Penzance. He also worked with Welsh National Opera and Scottish Opera.

Elijah directed operas in many other cities too, like Adelaide, Geneva, Florence, and Vienna. He even directed La forza del destino at the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia. Later in his career, he directed Plácido Domingo again in Simon Boccanegra in London, Los Angeles, and Beijing. In 2015, he directed Giovanna d'Arco for the Buxton Festival.

Directing for Stage and Screen

Besides opera, Elijah Moshinsky also directed plays for the theatre and shows for television.

Theatre Productions

For the theatre, he directed plays at the Royal National Theatre in London. Some of his notable theatre works include Troilus and Cressida and Three Sisters. He also directed Much Ado About Nothing and Shadowlands, which was performed in the UK and on Broadway. He even directed the first stage version of Lord of the Flies for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Television Shows

Elijah made several television films, often of operas. He also directed many plays by William Shakespeare for the BBC. These included All's Well That Ends Well, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Coriolanus. He directed famous actors like Judi Dench and Kenneth Branagh in TV productions of plays like Ghosts. He also directed a TV series called The Green Man.

He also directed two documentaries for the BBC: "Mozart in Turkey" and "Divas for Arena."

His Life and Legacy

Elijah Moshinsky married Ruth Dyttman in 1970. They had two sons and lived in London.

Sadly, Elijah Moshinsky passed away on January 14, 2021. He caught COVID-19 in the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. He left behind a wonderful legacy of creative and memorable productions in opera, theatre, and television.