He has directed 400 years of operatic repertoire in five languages, but is particularly known for his renderings of Mozart's operas (Santa Fe, Los Angeles,[2] Austin, Memphis, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, New York,[3] and Pittsburgh).
Steingraber's multi-disciplinary collaborations range from young painters at the Chicago arts magnet school to designers like Maurice Sendak and David Hockney.
In recent years, Thor's work has turned to Wagner—in Los Angeles and San Francisco he directed Tristan und Isolde, and in Chicago, he was the Associate Director of Wagner's Ring Cycle, starring Plácido Domingo.
Steingraber teaches acting and scene-work, with an emphasis on character development employing a broad range of analytic processes.
In 2008 and 2009, Steingraber was in residence at Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Mid Career Fellow for Arts, Culture and Media at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations.