RobertoKalb

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  • Conductor

About Roberto

Music Director: Detroit Opera

Mexican-born conductor Roberto Kalb is currently the Music Director of Detroit Opera.

This season Roberto makes several important house debuts including: the Metropolitan Opera conducting La Bohème, the Lyric Opera of Chicago for El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, and the Staatsoper Stuttgart conducing Carmen in his German debut. Other highlights include his return to Atlanta Opera for Götterdämmerung, Lili Elbe for the US premiere of Tobias Picker's opera at the Santa Fe Opera, a double bill of Still's Highway One / Weill's Down in the Valley with Detroit Opera, and Madama Butterfly with Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

In 2024-2025, he led performances of West Side Story for his house debut with the Houston Grand Opera, Siegfried with the Atlanta Opera, and La Traviata and Rinaldo with Detroit Opera. He also made his debut at the Britt Festival, with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, and led the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in concert with Sir Bryn Terfel.

In 2021, Roberto was awarded a Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He is married to soprano, Mane Galoyan.

Roberto is based in Detroit, Michigan

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Contact

For Opera Engagements

Dominic Domingo

Dominic Domingo

Associate Director

For Symphonic Engagements

Ollie Haines

Ollie Haines

Artist Manager
Mathieu Levan

Mathieu Levan

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt



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Season Highlights

May 2025
Atlanta Opera
Wagner - Götterdämmerung
Nov 2025
Kansas City Opera
Puccini - Madama Butterfly
Feb 2026
Staatsoper Stuttgart
Bizet - Carmen
Mar 2026
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Frank - El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
Apr 2026
Metropolitan Opera
Puccini - La Boheme
Aug 2026
Santa Fe Opera
Picker - Lili Elbe

Video

Photos

News

Press

  • Rigoletto

    Atlanta Opera
    Oct 2023

    • Conductor Roberto Kalb, in his Atlanta Opera debut, leads a lucid and artfully detailed performance, balancing urgency and lyricism. Kalb exhibits a keen sense of musicality as he lovingly lingers over some phrases, allowing the music to blossom in the best Italianate style. The Atlanta Opera Orchestra sounds great and responds beautifully to Kalb’s direction.

  • El último sueño de Frida y Diego

    San Francisco Opera
    Jun 2023

    • Frank’s score, superbly led by debuting conductor Roberto Kalb, matches this bounty note for note and shade for shade.

    • Roberto Kalb conducted with a sure feeling for pace and balance.

    • Roberto Kalb’s conducting could hardly be bettered; on Tuesday, you could hear every detail of the score, and the singers got exactly the support they needed.

    • Mexican conductor Roberto Kalb, currently music director of Detroit Opera, shaped and paced everything immaculately, with nicely responsive playing from the orchestra.

    • El Último Sueño is conducted by Mexican Roberto Kalb, who… deftly brought out the rich variety of colors in this music.

    • Conductor Roberto Kalb and his fluid wand are passionate while pulling together such richness from his 60-member orchestra.

    • On opening night in the War Memorial Opera House this week, Detroit Opera Music Director Roberto Kalb, in his San Francisco Opera debut, drew a bombastic and well-crafted performance from the orchestra, and the opera chorus performed superbly.