PJ Harris is a stage director and opera maker based in the UK. PJ creates opera in large-scale, intimate, participatory, site-specific and immersive forms.
The 2026/7 season includes A Christmas Carol for Opera North, La Traviata (revival) for English National Opera, The Railway Children for Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Gianni Schicchi for OperaUpClose/The Park and La clemenza di Tito for Garsington Opera.
Recent productions include Simon Boccanegra for Opera North, which won the 2025 Sky Arts Award, and a BAFTA-winning drive-in production of La Bohème for English National Opera, which was hailed as ‘a revelation: a completely fresh, vibrant, eclectic, inventive “La Bohème” that pushes so many artistic and musical boundaries’.
PJ’s practice includes developing new work, with a particular focus on engaging people and communities that might not traditionally connect with opera. In 2022 he directed the world premiere of Gods of the Game, for Sky Arts, which included working with football fans from across the UK. PJ has also worked with the Opera North Youth Company for Brundibar, developed a community singing workshop programme across Thamesmead and Woolwich for Displaced, worked with the Garsington Opera Adult Company on a queer retelling of The Bartered Bride as well LGBTQ+ choirs In Leeds and Manchester for People Like Us.
Other directing credits include Chabrier’s L’étoile & Idomeneo (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), Wagner’s Siegfried & Götterdämmerung with Vladimir Jurowski (London Philharmonic Orchestra/Royal Festival Hall), Haydn’s The Creation (The Barbican) and Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 (Garsington Opera).
Revival and associate directing credits include Jenůfa (Royal Swedish Opera), Billy Budd (Finnish National Opera, Polish National Opera).
PJ holds a first-class degree in Music from the University of Leeds and Conservatoire de Strasbourg. In 2015 he was listed as ‘one to watch’ by the BBC, receiving a bursary to spend a year training as a director at Scottish Opera. This led to assistant directing work across Europe including at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Opéra de Lyon, Opera North, Norwegian National Opera, and Danish National Opera.
