New leaders slated for music groups
Two classical music organizations in Pittsburgh are undergoing changes in leadership.
Pittsburgh Festival Opera Wednesday announced a new executive director, Christopher Powell, effective March 12. Mr. Powell is a Mt. Lebanon native who has worked for numerous arts organizations in the Steel City including Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Opera. Most recently, he was director of artistic initiatives at the world-renowned Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“Putting the word ‘festival’ in the programming opens us up to new avenues,” Mr. Powell said in a telephone interview. “They need income, they need revenue, just like any small arts organization needs. We’re interested in offering more things than just on the opera stage, using the opera season as a base or anchor for the programming you put around the festival.”
Mr. Powell will work alongside general director Jonathan Eaton, who has been with the company since 1999. Pittsburgh Festival Opera programs an annual summer opera festival in July that features performances, workshops and more. Summer 2019 will mark the 42nd season and include the second installment of a multiyear “Ring Cycle,” or performances of all four of Wagner’s opera cycle “The Ring of the Nibelungen.”
Additionally, Pittsburgh Youth Chorus has announced a search for a new executive director, as current director Edwina French said she intends to retire in the fall after a brief overlap period with her successor.
Ms. French has led the organization since 2013. In that time, enrollment has increased from just over 100 children to more than 400. The organization offers performance choir instruction, neighborhood training choirs in several locations, a oneday festival chorus and a summer camp program. Students involved in the Youth Chorus sometimes sing with Pittsburgh Opera or the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra when the music calls for children’s voices, including the upcoming performances of “La Boheme” and “The Damnation of Faust” at the opera and symphony respectively.
“We’re looking for someone with arts management experience and a proven track record for grant writing and fundraising experience, someone with a musical background and a genuine love of the arts,” Ms. French said in a phone interview. “I’ve loved my time here, but I’m looking forward to retiring and moving on to the next stage.”
Information about the position is at pittsburghyouthchorus.org.