CHICAGO – Chicago Opera Theater (COT) announces the appointment of Oliver Ionita (41) as the company’s new Director of Development following a national search conducted by Arts Consulting Group. Ionita officially assumed his new role on September 4, 2014 just a few days following the close of the company’s third consecutive fiscal year without a deficit and coinciding with the opening of its highly innovative and groundbreaking production of Ernest Bloch’s “Macbeth,” which marked the end of COT’s 2014 Season.
As General Director Andreas Mitisek’s uniquely innovative vision for opera in Chicago continues to attract new and adventurous audiences, Ionita will play an imperative role within the company as leader of its development office. COT’s 41st season premieres February 20, 2015 with Tobias Picker’s “Thérèse Raquin” followed by Ricky Ian Gordon’s “A Coffin in Egypt” on April 25, 2015 and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Lucio Silla” on September 26, 2015 all staged at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance (205 E. Randolph Street).
“I am exceptionally gratified that Oliver has joined Chicago Opera Theater at such an exciting time of opportunity and growth,” says General Director Andreas Mitisek. “Oliver’s remarkable experience in performing arts fundraising and his infectious passion for the arts are sure to prove an incredible asset in the years ahead.”
“I am thrilled to join Chicago Opera Theater during this pivotal time in its history,” said Ionita. “The breadth of COT’s repertoire and its unrelenting artistic quality has cemented its place among Chicago’s and the nation’s most ambitious and adventurous cultural institutions. I look forward to working closely with the board and staff to help steward our success well into the future.”
Ionita’s development career in the arts spans more than two decades and features significant tenures at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where he was Director of Development from 2005 to 2012 before being elevated to Senior Director for Development and External Affairs. Ionita has a wealth of experience in all areas of fundraising, particularly in major gifts, and has spent nearly a decade building relationships within Chicago’s philanthropic community. Ionita holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Performance from The Juilliard School and a Masters in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Ionita and his wife and son live in Chicago.
About Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago Opera Theater (COT) is an innovative, nationally recognized opera company that engages a curious audience through adventurous opera experiences of new and rarely performed works. This year COT celebrated its 40th Anniversary Season, having been established in 1974 by Alan Stone, and is a founding resident company of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. New General Director Andreas Mitisek is known for his adventurous repertory, visionary leadership, fundraising skills, and innovative audience-building initiatives.
COT’s 41st Season begins in 2015 with Tobias Picker’s “Thérèse Raquin,” a gripping and suspenseful tale of passionate love affairs, murderous ends and supernatural vengeance, running February 20, 22, 25 and 28, 2015. The company’s spring production of Ricky Ian Gordon’s “A Coffin in Egypt” tells the haunting tale of memory and murder, racism and recrimination, based on a play by Horton Foote. This work, written for legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade in the tour-de-force role of Myrtle Bledsoe, runs April 25 and 29 and May 1 and 3, 2015.
The 2015 Season will close with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Lucio Silla,” a story of the tyrannical dictator whose lust fuels his penchant for manipulation in a city which is already brimming with plots and machinations. With a scintillating score and featuring awe-inspiring arias and ravishing melodies, “Lucio Silla” runs September 25 and 30 and October 2 and 4, 2015.
Chicago Opera Theater has carved a significant place for itself in the operatic life of Chicago and has reached an audience of hundreds of thousands through its main stage performances, community engagement, education programs in Chicago Public Schools, as well as its renowned Young Artist Program.
Experience MORE OF THE DIFFERENT with Chicago Opera Theater!
For more information on the Chicago Opera Theater and its programs please visit www.chicagooperatheater.org.
About Arts Consulting Group, Inc.
Arts Consulting Group (ACG) is the leading provider of hands-on interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement consulting, facilities and program planning and organizational development services for the arts and culture industry. With locations in New York, Washington DC, Boston, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland, Seattle and Chicago, ACG consultants are also located in other communities throughout North America to best serve the needs of its clients. 888-234-4236. www.ArtsConsulting.com.
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