 In 1996, the internationally-known stage director Nicholas Muni succeeded James de Blasis as Artistic Director of the company.Under his leadership Cincinnati Opera further enlarged its repertory with many company premieres outside the standard repertory including Janáček's " Jenůfa", Britten's "The Turn of the Screw", Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande", Bartók's "Bluebeard's Castle", Schoenberg's "Erwartung", Heggie's "Dead Man Walking", Strauss' "Elektra", Poulenc's "La Voix Humaine", Weill's "The Seven Deadly Sins", Ullmann's "The Emperor of Atlantis", and the U.S. premiere of Peter Bengtson's "The Maids".The company also performed its first mainstage commission, Richard Danielpour's "Margaret Garner" (co-commissioned with Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Company of Philadelphia).