Opera and theatre director, teacher, and activist Peter Sellars has been a creative and deeply influential voice in the world of opera and theater for the past 30 years. Noted for his unique, contemporary stagings of both classical and contemporary plays and operas, Sellars is also professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA. He has served as director of the Boston Shakespeare Company, director and manager of the American National Theater in Washington, D.C., and artistic director for the Los Angeles Festivals. Among his most known projects are his stagings of a series of Mozart’s operas, which were televised by PBS, and his work directing and writing the libretto for John Adams' Dr. Atomic. Sellars has been awarded many honors and awards, including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Erasmus Prize, which recognized his work combining European and American cultural traditions in opera and theatre.

During his Avenali residency, Peter Sellars also taught two courses: "Art as Social Action," and "Invisible World."