Florida Grand Opera Hires Chief Advancement Officer Dennis Hanthorn

Susan T. Danis, General Director & CEO, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis Hanthorn to the position of Chief Advancement Officer for Florida Grand Opera (FGO) effective June 29, 2016.

Mr. Hanthorn is a thirty-year veteran in the opera industry and will spreadhead all fundraising efforts and work with Ms. Danis, the development team, and the Board to structure campaign strategies that will meet both annual fund and endowment goals.

"I am pleased to welcome Dennis to the FGO team. He is widely known and respected throughout the opera world, serving with several companies as the senior executive. He is particularly known for helping companies grow and flourish," said Susan T. Danis, General Director & CEO."

Mr. Hanthorn has devoted his professional career to the opera industry, having previously served as General Director of the Atlanta Opera, Milwaukee Florentine Opera, Dayton Opera, and Opera Naples. He led these companies to have a lasting impact on the communities that they serve.

"I am honored to join Susan and her team. FGO has shaped opera in North America for the past 75 years. Working with Susan, the staff, and Board, we will strengthen the cultural and economic vitality of South Florida," said Dennis Hanthorn.

An accomplished fundraiser, Hanthorn has raised more than $75 million during his career. While working at the Atlanta Opera fundraising, including annual and endowment funds, reached the $35 million mark. Before he joined the Atlanta Opera, the Milwaukee Florentine Opera Company launched the largest and most successful fundraising campaign with the goal of $10 million, and the endowment grew to $3.5 million.

Mr. Hanthorn has served on the Board of Directors of OPERA America as Secretary and Chair of the Membership Committee, and as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mr. Hanthorn completed postgraduate studies in Arts Administration and Music Performance from the University of Cincinnati-CCM; earned a Master of Music, Music Performance, in French horn from the University of Wisconsin; and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education K-12 from Missouri State in Springfield, Missouri.

Dennis and his wife Rebecca have three grown children. Rebecca will be joining Dennis in the Greater Miami area later this fall.

Florida Grand Opera (FGO), the oldest performing arts organization in Florida, celebrates its 76th year of continuously producing grand opera during the 2016-17 Season. The mainstage operas of the season include: Bizet's Carmen (November 12-December 3, 2016), Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (January 28-February 11, 2017), Martín's Before Night Falls (March 18-25, 2017), and Verdi's A Masked Ball (Un ballo in maschera, April 29-May 13, 2017).

FGO is now asking all those who enjoy and support grand opera in South Florida to make their gifts or pledge today. For more information, or to make a pledge, contact Individual Giving Officer Carlton Ford at cford@fgo.org or by calling 305.403.3320.

Founded in 1941 as Greater Miami Opera and later merging with The Opera Guild Inc. in 1994, FGO presents a mixture of standard repertoire and contemporary works as well as commissions and new productions - all featuring projected translations in English and Spanish. FGO is recognized for funding by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding is also provided, in part, by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Program support is provided by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, and Cultural Arts Council. Florida Grand Opera is a Resident Company of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and a member company of OPERA America. Intercontinental Miami is the Official Hotel and Steinway & Sons is the Official Piano of Florida Grand Opera.

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