He made his Proms debut in 1976 and his opera debut in 1977 at the Glyndebourne Festival.

BBC: Sir Simon Rattle

That's because the soprano sang the role of Cleopatra when the David McVicar production premiered at England's Glyndebourne Festival in 2005 and performed it again when the staging traveled to the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2007.

WSJ: De Niese steps into Met 'Cesare' on short notice

Before then, Grandage will direct Evita on Broadway, followed by the Marriage of Figaro at Glyndebourne, and Red in Los Angeles.

BBC: Michael Grandage sets up production company