Henry Fogel Appointed Board President of Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) Board President, Gregory O'Leary, announces the appointment of Henry Fogel as the company's new President of the Board of Directors, effective July 16, 2013. As COT enters its 40th season, Mr. Fogel succeeds Gregory O'Leary who has held the position since July 2010. O'Leary will remain a member of COT's Executive Committee.

O'Leary comments: "Henry's strong skills and extensive experience in the performing arts business coupled with Andreas Mitisek's original artistic vision and deep management capabilities will continue to catapult Chicago Opera Theater."

From COT's General Director Andreas Mitisek: "We all express tremendous gratitude to Greg for his transformational guidance through COT's time of leadership change and growth. He will be inducted into the COT Hall of Fame! We are fortunate to have Henry volunteer his immense expertise to succeed Greg, one excellent President is followed by another. "

Gregory O'Leary, a COT Board of Director member since April 2008 and voted in as President July 2010, is Principal at Chesley, Taft & Associates, and a Balanced Portfolio Manager. Mr. O'Leary holds a B.A. from Northwestern University '84 in Economics and Classics and a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago '93 in Finance and Accounting.

O'Leary is on the Board of Directors of Chicago Opera Theater, the Civic Federation and the Cathedral Counseling Center. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the Little Sisters of the Poor (Chairperson) and the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In addition, he serves on the Centennial Initiative Committee for the University Club of Chicago Foundation.

Henry Fogel has been a vital part of the COT Board since 2009 and exemplifies leadership with a list of honors and accomplishments that are quite extensive and admirable. Highlighting a few, Mr. Fogel was appointed Dean of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University July, 2009. Mr. Fogel was also the President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras spanning 2003-2008. From 1985-2003, Mr. Fogel was President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, leading the organization through a period of enormous change, increasing the Orchestra's endowment from $19 million to over $160 million, and overseeing the $125 million renovation of Orchestra Hall.

From 1981-1985, Mr. Fogel was Executive Director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, D.C. He was also the Orchestra Manager of the New York Philharmonic from 1978-1981. Mr. Fogel has served on other notable non-profit boards including Chicago Classical Music Recording Foundation, the Avery Fisher Artist Program, WFMT Committee of the WTTW Board in Chicago to name a few.

He has received honorary doctorate degrees from Roosevelt University, Northwestern University, the Curtis Institute, and Columbia College in Chicago, and a Cultural Leadership Citation from Yale University. He received the highest honor from the League of American Orchestras', the Gold Baton Award in June of 2009. In 1990 he was named by Business Week magazine as one of the five best managers of cultural organizations, and he has received the Dushkin Award for his service to music, presented by the Music Institute of Chicago.

"It is an incredible honor for me to be asked to serve as President of Chicago Opera Theater. COT has a long and wonderful record of great and innovative artistic achievement, which has been carried to new heights in the past year by Andreas Mitisek. The ability to work with the highly engaged and committed board, with Andreas and his excellent staff, is both an opportunity and a responsibility to which I look forward. Following in the footsteps of Greg O'Leary, whose leadership has frankly been a model of non-profit governance, makes this an even greater honor." - Henry Fogel.

For more information on the Chicago Opera Theater and its programs please visit www.chicagooperatheater.org.

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