Kenza Koutchoukali

Kenza Koutchoukali (1988) is a stage director from the Netherlands. When directing the new opera All Rise! by composer Jan-Peter de Graaff she discovered the enormous value and joy of working with contemporary music and living composers. She followed a talent trajectory at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam and Paris, having the opportunity to assist important opera figures, such as Claus Guth, Lotte de Beer and Romeo Castellucci on contemporary productions. She has worked with composers Anne-Maartje Lemereis, Jan-Peter de Graaff, Leonard Evers and Mathilde Wantenaar on different forms of opera and music theater. After the family production of Goud! (Evers) at Dutch National Opera, she made her debut on the main stage with How Anansi freed the stories of the World (Neo Muyanga, Maarten van Hinte). Her location performance of Bluebeards Castle (Bartók) with conductor Antony Hermus received an honorable mention in Operamagazines Opera of the Year nominations of 2022 and spoke of a profound humanity. This season Kenza is presenting the short new touring production Elektrische Fische by composer Hannah Eisendle for Staatsoper Wien, as well as The Four Note Opera by Tom Johnson at the Opera Forward Festival in Amsterdam. Upcoming projects include a new opera by Bushra El-Turk. 

In her work Kenza aims to find the Fantastic dimension of reality. Because reality reflects diversity and diversity is the most powerful source of cultural regeneration and artistic innovation. 

Photo by Hilde Harshagen for De Volkskrant at Dutch National Opera