Conductor Michael Sakir has been praised for his “artistic authority,” “fluidity of expression,” and “great delicacy of feeling.” He serves as the Artistic Director of Opera Montana which was recently praised by the London-based Opera Now magazine as “a small but thriving opera company that it not restrained by convention.” He recently completed his fourth and final season as Music Director of Opera Memphis with whom, in addition to conducting nearly two dozen production, he was deeply involved in the company’s ground-breaking civic practice programs, community partnerships, and commissioning projects.

In the 2023-2024 season, Sakir conducts CAROUSEL and LA BOHÈME with Opera Montana. He also makes his guest conducting debut with his alma mater Oberlin Conservatory of Music in ALBERT HERRING.

Other recent conducting engagements include THE FALLING AND THE RISING for Seattle Opera and Arizona Opera, THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES, Philip Glass GALILEO GALILEI, and Laura Kaminsky AS ONE for Des Moines Metro Opera,  THE TURN OF THE SCREW for Opera Baltimore, CARMEN for Opera Idaho, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, CANDIDE, SUSANNAH, and DIE FLEDERMAUS for the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center, THE MAID OF ORLEANS, IL TRITTICO, CENDRILLON, CANDIDE, and A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE for Opera Company of Middlebury, DON PASQUALE, THE IMPRESARIO, and LES MAMELLES DE TIRÉSIAS for Opera Orlando,   THE MAGIC FLUTE for Shreveport Opera, THE TURN OF THE SCREW for Eugene Opera, DEAD MAN WALKING for Northwestern University,  AS ONE for American Opera Projects, LE NOZZE DI FIGARO for Temple University, LA CENERENTOLA for Opera in the Ozarks and THE TENDER LAND for Opera North (NH).

Sakir has held chorus master, assistant conductor, and coach positions for nearly three dozen productions with Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Sarasota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Pensacola Opera, and Opera Boston.

Sakir holds bachelor degrees in Piano Performance and Music History from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a graduate degree in Orchestral Conducting from The Boston Conservatory. He was a participant in the 2017 OPERA America Leadership Intensive. He is a native of Northern California.