About
Bio
Brent Douglas is the Founder and Artistic Director of Venice Opera and Music Director of The Venice Chorale, an award-winning 90-voice ensemble renowned for its dynamic performances. He is also Chorus Master for Gulfshore Opera, and recently appeared with the Vidin Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria) and the Mediterranean Opera Studio and Festival (Sicily). In addition, he performs as a keyboardist with leading Florida ensembles, including The Florida Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, the Naples Philharmonic, and St. Pete Baroque.
Brent’s career spans symphonic, operatic, and choral music, bringing him to stages across the U.S. and internationally with collaborations including the London Classical Players, Berlin Sinfonietta, and the National Women’s Chorus of Cuba. He previously served as Director of Orchestra and Chorus at Eckerd College for nine years and Assistant Conductor of the Tampa Bay Symphony for two seasons. He has conducted at renowned festivals such as the Vienna Summer Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, and MusicaRiva Festival in Italy. A career highlight was his groundbreaking blacklight production of The Magic Flute with the Düsseldorf Lyric Opera in Germany.
Beyond conducting, Brent is an accomplished vocal coach and opera pianist with partnerships spanning St. Petersburg Opera, Opera Tampa, and the Savannah Voice Festival. His imaginative improv-opera, The Carnival of the Animals, premiered at the Vienna Summer Music Festival in 2019, and he founded an annual opera recital series in Sicily, where he spends his summers.
Brent is also an advocate for new music. In 2024-2025, 4 of his works were premiered as composer and arranger, and he has founded two composition initiatives to support young composers. A graduate of Missouri State University and the University of South Florida, Brent holds degrees in Piano Performance and Conducting. He has studied with esteemed mentors Markus Stenz ( Hanns Eisler School of Music-Berlin), Gerard Schwarz (Frost School of Music), James Bass (UCLA), Kenneth Kiesler (University of Michigan), and Leonardo Catalanotto (Scarlatti Conservatory, Sicily).
Current Affiliations
