Karoline Gruber’s productions have been seen at many of the international leading opera houses. She has had a close relationship with the HAMBURGISCHE STAATSOPER since her 2003 production of Monteverdi’s »L’Incoronazione di Poppea« received several nominations for »Opernwelt« »Best Director / Best production«, returning in 2004 for Verdi’s »Nabucco« and in 2005 for Haendel’s »Giulio Cesare«, which later transferred to OPER KÖLN.
Other important productions from this period include her debuts at the SÄCHSISCHE STAATSOPER DRESDEN, the NIKIKAI OPERA TOKYO and the STAATSOPER WIEN, followed by the TEATRO NACIONAL DE SAO CARLOS LISBOA and the OPER LEIPZIG, as well as the AALTO THEATER ESSEN.
Karoline Gruber was „Professor for Scenic Studies” at the »UNIVERSITÄT DER KÜNSTE BERLIN« between 2005 and 2010, ending her tenure with a production of Poulenc’s »Dialogues des Carmélites«.
In 2011 Karoline Gruber directed »Platée« by J. Ph. Rameau for the DEUTSCHE OPER AM RHEIN and »Don Giovanni« by W. A. Mozart as a coproduction with NIKIKAI OPERA TOKYO and DEUTSCHE OPER AM RHEIN DÜSSELDORF / DUISBURG.
In January 2012 her interpretation of »Lear« by Aribert Reimann at the HAMBURGISCHE STAATSOPER (sung by Bo Skovhus and conducted by Simone Young) and her interpretation of »Don Giovanni« at DEUTSCHE OPER AM RHEIN were both a very big succees by public and press.
Both productions were nominated several times in the annual book »Opernwelt« for »Best production of the season 2011/ 2012«.
In 2013 she showed her staging of the Oratory »Semele« by G. F. Haendel at CUVILLIÉS-THEATER MÜNCHEN and the revival of »Don Giovanni« by W. A. Mozart at DEUTSCHE OPER AM RHEIN as well as the revival of »Lear« by A. Reimann at HAMBURGISCHE STAATSOPER (2014). This acclaimed production has been recorded and was just recently released on DVD by Unitel/ Classica.
In 2015 she successfully directed a new production of »Die Tote Stadt« by E. W. Korngold at the HAMBURGISCHE STAATSOPER with Klaus Florian Vogt in the main role, which will be shown again starting in october 2018.
In 2016 she returned to NIKIKAI OPERA TOKYO for »Ariadne auf Naxos« by R. Strauss and in 2017 to WIENER STAATSOPER for »Der Spieler« by S. Prokofjev, both again in cooperation with the conductor Simone Young.