Starting on Sept. 1, 2012, Andreas Mitisek, the artistic and general director of Long Beach Opera (LBO), will also lead the Chicago Opera Theater (COT). He will remain, with an extended contract, in his current position at LBO. Both organizations have earned national and international reputations for edgy and dynamic productions.
In simultaneously leading both LBO and COT, Mitisek will form a new model for artistic and organizational collaboration.
“We at LBO have been expanding the boundaries of the opera experience with adventurous repertoire and performances. Teaming up with COT, which has a similar repertoire and philosophy, will bring a heightened presence for both companies,” said Mitisek. “Forming synergies between these organizations on artistic and organizational levels can serve as an innovative model for opera to thrive in the 21st century. Creating and sharing productions between these companies is one of the most exciting prospects of the new partnership.”
On January 1, 2012, Mitisek will become COT’s general director designate, at which point he will begin working on future seasons for both COT and LBO. He will take over for COT’s current general director Brian Dickie when Dickie’s contract ends on August 31, 2012.
Mitisek became the principal conductor at LBO in 1998 and the artistic and general director in 2003. His leadership helped LBO more than double its budget (from $434K to $1.2M), eliminate a longstanding deficit, and raise subscriptions by 500 percent between 2008 and 2011. Mitisek transitioned the company from a festival format to a seasonal format of four productions a year, and will add a fifth production in September of 2012. To support this new model and LBO’s organizational growth, the company will hire a managing director in the spring of 2012.
