John La Bouchardière (director) was born in Hampshire, was a chorister at Magdalen College, Oxford, and studied music, drama and opera to post-graduate level at Birmingham University. He worked as an assistant and revival director for companies including BBC, Channel 4 (Operatunity), English National Opera (where he was on staff from 1996 to 2000), New Israeli Opera, Opera Graz, Opéra National du Rhin, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Teatro Liceu (Barcelona) Vlaamse Opera, Teatro São Carlos (Lisbon), La Fenice and Opera Zurich.

As a director in his own right, his productions include The Full Monteverdi with I Fagiolini, international tour and winning a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; The Medium and Ten Belles for RWCMD; Rigoletto for Opera Holland Park; Eugene Onegin and Tamerlano for Scottish Opera; Don Giovanni in Varna, Bulgaria; Kvinneliv for Sommersang, Ringve; Semele for Scottish Opera and Florentine Opera, Milwaukee; Carmen for Opera Nordfjordeid, Norway; Giasone for Royal Academy of Music and Idomeneo for Florentine Opera.

He recently blindfolded audiences for his production of Lera Auerbach's The Blind at Lincoln Center Festival and Trondheim Chamber Music Festival.

John's acclaimed film The Full Monteverdi, based on his live production, has been releasedworldwide in cinemas, on television and DVD, and was awarded a Choc du monde de la musique. He also wrote and directed Music Room, an eight-part TV series for Sky Arts.

Plans include a new production of John Adams's El Niño for Spoleto USA and a devised site-specific project with I Fagiolini.