Stroman follows in the footsteps of current president Eric Fischl, who is stepping down after his long and impactful tenure. Fischl says of Stroman’s appointment, “I am honored to be able to pass the torch to our new President of the Academy, the five-time Tony Award-winning director, producer, and choreographer, Susan Stroman. Gasp, breathe, applause, standing ovation, buckle your seatbelts, we are in for a fantastic ride!”

Stroman is a five-time Tony Award®-winning director and choreographer. Her work has also been honored with Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, and a record six Astaire Awards. For ten years, she choreographed Madison Square Garden’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol.” She made her Metropolitan Opera debut directing and choreographing “The Merry Widow,” starring Renée Fleming.

“I am deeply honored to accept the role of President of the Academy of the Arts at Guild Hall,” shared Stroman. “As a director and choreographer, I have long championed the arts, and I am thrilled to continue this legacy by leading Guild Hall’s prestigious Academy. I look forward to collaborating with fellow artists, fostering creativity, and advancing the mission of this cherished cultural institution.”

Since 1931 Guild Hall has served East Hampton as a cultural mecca. Today, the Academy’s 250 max members are resources of talent for our programs and for mentoring artists-in-residence and younger artists in the community to extend the region’s legacy as one of the country’s most storied art colonies.

The post Guild Hall Announces Susan Stroman as New President of the Academy of the Arts appeared first on OperaWire.

He has been with the Virginia Opera since 2018 as Managing Director and Director of Development for Central and Northern Virginia.

“John-Paul Schaefer’s extensive background and successful track record in arts management equips him to effectively lead Virginia Opera,” said Mike Lott, Chair of the Virginia Opera Statewide Board of Directors, per an official press release. “As we celebrate the company’s 50th Anniversary Season, we are confident in his vision and ability to guide Virginia Opera toward a strong and vibrant future.”

“I am honored to take on the role of Interim General Director and CEO during this pivotal time for Virginia Opera. I look forward to building on the work and commitment of the company’s leadership, staff, boards, and patrons as we continue delivering extraordinary opera experiences to audiences across the Commonwealth,” Schaefer added.

Virginia Opera’s 50th Anniversary Season will feature “Così fan tutte” in February/March 2025 and be followed by the hotly anticipated world premiere of “Loving v. Virginia” in spring 2025.

The post Virginia Opera Names Interim General Director & CEO appeared first on OperaWire.

Suttmann is a trombonist and takes over for Sara Cutler, who led the union since August 2023. He has played over 95 Broadway musicals and worked for many headliners in Atlantic City casinos. He has also served on the Local 802 Executive Board and Trial Board.

“I am honored to lead this powerful union of the world’s finest musicians, and I have great faith in the power of solidarity. Together, we and our allies will push for more arts investment in NYC so that audiences will continue to see our great city as the cultural capital of the world. Musicians provide the soundtrack to New York City and we will always fight to ensure that they’re paid the wages and benefits they deserve,” Suttmann said in an official press release.

Joining him will be Karen Fisher as Financial Vice President and Harvey Mars as Recording Vice President. The Executive Board will include Deborah Assael, Andrew Bove, Bud Burridge, Sara Cutler, Julia DeRosa, Diva Goodfriend-Koven, Sarah Haines, Martha Hyde, and Morris Kainuma.

The post NYC’s Local 802 Names New President appeared first on OperaWire.

The organization has announced that Julia Cooke will become President and General Director after serving as Executive Director for years.

Meanwhile, Catrin Davies will be Vice President of Advancement and Tara Dougherty will take on the role of Patron Services Manager and Board Liaison.

Additionally, the company announced the addition of Megan Ihnen as Director of External Communications, with Michael Manganiello as Operations Manager and Tina O’Malley as Company Manager.

The company recently presented a production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” this past October.

The post Opera Baltimore Unveils Leadership Changes & Additions appeared first on OperaWire.

This historic gift marks a significant milestone in the organization’s growth. The funding will allow ArtSmart to expand its programming in Greater Philadelphia by 40 percent. The organization plans to establish eight new studios across existing program partners and introduce programs at three new schools.

Since its conception in 2016, ArtSmart has been a cornerstone of arts education in Greater Philadelphia. The organization co-founded by Michael Fabiano and John Viscardi has delivered over 10,000 music mentorship sessions to nearly 450 students.

The William Penn Foundation’s Arts and Culture Grant provides access to high-quality, hands-on arts education programs that are designed to actively engage and benefit school-aged young people.

The post William Penn Foundation Awards $300,000 Grant to ArtSmart appeared first on OperaWire.

The bass-baritone is an up-and-coming artist of his generation, who has been recognized for his versatile repertoire and impressive stage presence.

The post Michael Mofidian Joins OWL Artist for General Management appeared first on OperaWire.

Per an official press release, the partnership means that CueTV has ceased operations as of Dec. 12, 2024 with STAGE+ set to replace it as the exclusive streaming site for CueTV subscribers and OperaBase users.

“In STAGE+ we have found the perfect partner to be our streaming provider,” said Ulrike Köstinger, CEO of Arts Consolidated, the parent company of OperaBase and CueTV. “For Operabase, it is important to offer the best standards and technology to our PRO users, whether to support the casting process of an arts organisation or giving the artists more control over the direction of their career. The power of information technology is greatly impacting the performing arts industry. We are happy to be among the pioneers in this field, and this collaboration with a strong partner like Stage+ (Deutsche Grammophon) represents a shared vision for transforming and supporting the performing arts industry.”

“Operabase has built an impressive user base and tech stack and has successfully ventured into audiovisual streaming with CueTV,” added Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President of Deutsche Grammophon. “We very much welcome our partners at Operabase and their professional and amateur subscribers to share in the state-of-the-art experience of classical music streaming on STAGE+, both in audio and video formats. We are delighted to offer the highly engaged community of Operabase the most relevant and high-quality content in our genre, supported by excellent metadata and immersive technology. The newly established collaboration underlines both Deutsche Grammophon’s commitment to the world of opera and vocal performance as well as the status of STAGE+ as innovation leader.”

The post OperaBase Integrates CueTV into Deutsche Grammophon’s STAGE+ appeared first on OperaWire.

Equity, the performing arts and entertainment trade union in Wales, has issued a response following the reveal of the Welsh government’s arts funding proposals for 2025-26.

“Today’s draft budget is disappointing for the arts and shows that the Welsh Government is still not listening to Equity, the arts sector or the Arts Council of Wales (ACW). The First Minister may call this a budget ‘for hope,’ but it provides none to our members who are already struggling to sustain careers in the industry,” Simon Curtis, the Equity Wales Chief, stated per the official release. “The extra £1,095,000 funding for ACW next year in no way makes up for the cuts of previous years – and in a budget which includes £1bn of ‘new money’ due to the Westminster budget, this increase in ACW funding is derisory. We cannot forget that this is taking place against a backdrop of a 40 percent cut in funding in real terms since 2010. This proposal will see the sector continue to struggle, with institutions – like the Welsh National Opera – continuing to be in crisis and cutting productions and workforce numbers.

“Today’s announcement also comes in stark contrast to the Scottish Government, who announced a £34m increase for arts and culture last week, showing real interest in the cultural infrastructure and workforce of their country,” he continued. “According to ACW figures, every £1 of funding they receive generates £2.51 back into the economy, yet this draft budget fails to acknowledge that good culture is good for the whole economy and provides no form of long-term investment or sustainability for the sector and its workforce.”

The response comes following action taken by chorus members from the Welsh National Opera to protect their livelihood. Among their demands are for the chorus to be full-time and receive a corresponding full-time wage as well as no compulsory redundancies. They have rejected the proposal for a 15 percent cut to chorus members’ pay as well as a reduction of contracted hours. The members of the chorus engaged in action short of a strike, though that option remains planned for upcoming February performances.

The post Equity Fires Back at Welsh Government’s Arts Funding Proposals for 2025-26 appeared first on OperaWire.

Per the organization’s press release, the two-year agreement that maintains current compensation rates for 32 paid AGMA choristers during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons was facilitated by a $4 million gift to the San Francisco Symphony courtesy of “a devoted Symphony patron.” Two million dollars will be designated to the company’s annual fund, fully funding the cost of the chorus over the next two seasons, while the rest will go toward establishing a distinct endowment fund for the SF Symphony Chorus, which will provide around $100,000 in additional annual support each season.

“All of us at the San Francisco Symphony are deeply grateful to the donor for their remarkable generosity and belief in our mission to bring powerful musical experiences to our community,” said Matthew Spivey, SF Symphony Chief Executive Officer, per the release. “Their extraordinary gift enabled the Symphony to meet the terms of this agreement with AGMA, offering vital support for our choral programs over the next two seasons and establishing a dedicated endowment fund to ensure lasting support for the Chorus. Our artists, including the Chorus, are the lifeblood of our work and mission, and we are grateful that this gift allows us to continue delivering high-caliber performances to our audiences. We’re inspired by the donor’s generosity and hope it motivates others to contribute to the fund, helping sustain the Chorus for seasons to come.”

Negotiations had been tense over the past few months with AGMA recently calling out the San Francisco Symphony management for “misleading” patrons about negotiations. Before that performances of the Verdi Requiem had been canceled due to a strike from the chorus members of proposed cuts made by the administration. All of that came after Music Director Esa-Pekka announced his decision to conclude his tenure as Music Director following the culmination of his five-year contract in June 2025.

The post Donor’s $4 Million Gift Facilitates End to Tense Contract Negotiations Between San Francisco Symphony & AGMA appeared first on OperaWire.

Intermusica has announced the addition of soprano Sondra Radvanovsky to the organization’s roster for management.

The famed soprano has been a major star at all of the world’s renowned opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real de Madrid, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro di San Carlo, Royal Ballet and Opera. At the Met, Radvanovsky has headlined several Live in HD performances of such works as “Norma,” “Un Ballo in Maschera,” “Roberto Devereux,” “Il Trovatore,” and “Medea;” she was the opening night headliner at the New York company in “Medea” and “Norma.”

Next up for Radvanovsky is “Tosca” at the Met this January followed by concerts at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and a production of “Turandot” at the Royal Opera House in London this March.

She joins a roster that includes such artists as Jane Archibald, Mary Bevan, Danielle de Niese, Eri Nakamura, Miah Persson, Sumi Jo, SeokJong Baek, Saimir Pirgu, Russell Braun, Joshua Hopkins, Christopher Purves, and Gihoon Kim, among others.

The post Sondra Radvanovsky Joins Intermusica for Management appeared first on OperaWire.