The Dallas Opera welcomes back David Lomelí, this time as its new director and CEO.
Though Lomelí is coming off of a five year stint at the Santa Fe Opera, he has more than a decade of experience working with the Dallas company. He was the founding director of the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, and has been an artistic consultant with the company since 2021.
“I am honored, and especially grateful to partner with a thoughtful and sensitive board that understands both the immense challenges and extraordinary possibilities facing our art form today,” Lomelí said in a statement.
He will inherit an organization with an enviable balance sheet. Earlier this year, the company announced it raised a whopping $54.5 million – the largest sum in its nearly 70-year history. The feat was thanks in part to a $25 million matching grant from the O’Donnell Foundation.
That money will go toward the nonprofit’s general operating fund and endowment, which was at about $30 million, prior to the most recent campaign.
“My goal is to serve this institution, this city, and this art form with humility, ambition, and a profound sense of responsibility as we shape the next chapter of The Dallas Opera together,” Lomelí’s statement continues.
He will replace Ian Derrer, who spent the past 10 years at the company, including eight as general director and CEO.
Derrer will begin his new role leading the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto on July 1. Lomelí starts on June 1.
This story is developing and may be updated.
Got a tip? Email Marcheta Fornoff at mfornoff@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
