Born in 1945 in Paris, Jean Kalman has created numerous lighting designs for theatre and opera since 1979, working in France, Japan, the UK, the Netherlands, and Italy. He has collaborated with directors such as Peter Brook, Hans Peter Cloos, Pierre Audi, Robert Carsen, Nicholas Hytner, Tim Albery, Zhang Yimou, Jean-Louis Martinoty, Francesca Zambello, Jonathan Miller, Tim Supple, Adrian Noble, and Deborah Warner. He designed the sets and lighting for Fidelio at the Glyndebourne Festival, as well as the lighting for the world premieres of Dionysos by Rihm at the Salzburg Festival and Gisela! by Henze at the Ruhrtriennale.Jean Kalman received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design in 1991 for Richard III at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Evening Standard Award in 2004 for Festen at the Almeida Theatre. In the 2025–2026 season, he will design the lighting for The Turn of the Screw in Rome. He is also an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.At the Paris National Opera: Peut-on penser le paysage?, 1987; Le Prisme du chaman, 1987; Nabucco, 1995; Alcina, 1999; The Queen of Spades, 1999; Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1999; The Tales of Hoffmann, 2000; Guillaume Tell, 2003; Salome, 2003; La Juive, 2007; Tosca, 2014.

Jean KalmanLighting designer