OPERA America Welcomes Eight New Members To Its Board Of Directors

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, welcomes a new class of board members that includes creators, administrators, and opera company trustees.

The following distinguished leaders were elected to three-year terms as members of the Class of 2027 by OPERA America's Voting Members at the Annual Meeting held on June 26, 2024:  

• Wayne Davis, board president, Boston Lyric Opera
• Jason Hardy, general director and CEO, Knoxville Opera
• Jessica Jahn, costume designer
• Timothy Long, artistic and music director of opera, Eastman School of Music
• Shawna Lucey, general director and CEO, Opera San José
• Karen Molleson, vice president of the board, Long Beach Opera; president of the board, Wild Up
• Timothy O'Leary, general director, Washington National Opera
• Karen Tiller, stage director; former executive director, Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre

They join the Board of Directors under the ongoing leadership of Susan G. Marineau, an esteemed philanthropist, ardent advocate for gender parity, and current chair of the Santa Fe Opera and member of the board of the San Francisco Opera. 

Marineau is supported by the vice chairs of the board — Héctor Armienta, composer and artistic director of Opera Cultura; Lee Anne Myslewski, vice president of opera and classical programming at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts; and Estevan Rael-Gálvez, trustee of the Santa Fe Opera and executive director and project investigator for Native Bound-Unbound: Archive of the Indigenous Enslaved — as well as Treasurer Ian Rye, CEO of Pacific Opera Victoria, and newly appointed Secretary E. Loren Meeker, general and artistic director of OPERA San Antonio.

Anthony Freud, retiring general director, president, and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, was elected as an emeritus member on the board, recognizing his service as OPERA America's board chair for four years and his previous service as board president of Opera Europa.

Additionally, OPERA America will welcome two new board members to the National Opera Center Board:

• Carleen Graham, dean of the vocal arts division, Manhattan School of Music
• Andrew Gaines, administrative director, Vocal Arts at The Juilliard School

OPERA America extends its profound thanks to three board members whose years of service ended in June: Michael Egel, general and artistic director of Des Moines Metro Opera; Peggy Kriha Miller, general director and CEO of Virginia Opera; and Beth Morrison, president and creative producer of Beth Morrison Projects.

The work of OPERA America's Board is informed by seven programmatic Councils with an additional 45 individuals from across the opera field. These Councils were created in 2021 to expand the representation of OPERA America's diverse membership and incorporate the expertise of additional administrators, artists, trustees, and other experts in shaping and evaluating OPERA America's programs.

“It's a pleasure to welcome this new cohort of exceptional opera administrators, creators, and trustees to the OPERA America board,” remarked OPERA America President/CEO Marc A. Scorca. “We look forward to learning from their unique perspectives and working with them to strengthen the field and advance the art form.” 

To post a comment, you must register and login.