Ned Canty has directed at dozens of companies, including Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Santa Fe Opera, New Orleans Opera, and the Shanghai Conservatory. The New York Times described his stage direction as having "a startling combination of sensitivity and panache."

He joined Opera Memphis as general director in 2011, expanding the repertoire and launching a series of commissions centered on Memphis stories. The signature program under his leadership is “30 Days of Opera”, which has brought free performances to over 500,000 Memphians since 2012.

In 2005, he helped found The New York Television Festival, and served as its director until 2010, helping it grow into a nationally recognized forum for discovering new television talent and exploring digital and new media storytelling.

Before discovering opera, Canty worked as an actor, director, and stuntman at Hartford Stage Company, McCarter Theatre, and the New York Renaissance Festival, among others.