Opera General Director Appointed to OPERA
America
Board of Directors
Palm Beach Opera supporter elected Chairman;
Director of Marketing & PR is Marketing Network Chair
Palm Beach Opera General Director Daniel Biaggi was elected
to the Board of Directors of OPERA America, the national
nonprofit service organization for opera, during the
organization's Annual Business Meeting, which took place
during Opera Conference 2012 in Philadelphia in June.
"OPERA America has been instrumental in providing advocacy
and expertise to US opera companies over the past 40 years,
and President/CEO Marc Scorca took a keen interest in my own
professional development" said Biaggi. "I am thrilled to
join the Board of Directors and to become part of this
illustrious group of cultural leaders at a time when opera
tradition and preservation of values must go hand in hand
with innovation and continuous reinvention."
The Annual Business Meeting also saw Palm Beach Opera
supporter and Metropolitan Opera Trustee Frayda B. Lindemann,
Ph.D. elected Chairman, making this the first time in the
history of OPERA America that an opera company trustee,
rather than a general director, will lead the Board.
In addition to Mr. Biaggi, other newly elected members are:
James Feldman (Board President, Washington National Opera),
William Florescu (General Director, Florentine Opera
Company), Christopher Hahn (General Director, Pittsburgh
Opera), Barbara Leirvik (opera patron), Susan F. Morris
(Board Chairman, The Santa Fe Opera), Esther Nelson (General
and Artistic Director, Boston Lyric Opera) and Francesca
Zambello (Artistic and General Director, The Glimmerglass
Festival).
"I am very pleased to welcome eight outstanding new members
to our Board," said OPERA America President/CEO Marc A.
Scorca. "Each of these individuals, representing the
administrative, business, governance and artistic spheres of
our industry, brings a different set of valuable skills to
OPERA America."
Mr. Biaggi joins Palm Beach Opera Director of Marketing & PR
Ceci Dadisman in a leadership role with OPERA America. Ceci
has served as the organization's Marketing Network Chair
since 2010.
About Daniel Biaggi
Now entering his fourth season as General Director of the
Palm Beach Opera, Daniel Biaggi is committed to expanding
the company's mission of presenting high quality opera
productions and engaging educational and community outreach
performances to the communities it serves. Under his
leadership, the company ended the fiscal year 10 for the
first time with a budget surplus after successful
fundraising initiatives including a major Matching Grant
Campaign and Board of Director's expansion plan.
As Interim Managing Director in addition to his
responsibilities as Director of Artistic Operations, he
spent the past 4 years casting and contracting Palm Beach
Opera's seasons in collaboration with Artistic Director and
Principal Conductor Bruno Aprea. He oversees all staff
activities and organizational events, including the Palm
Beach Opera Young Artist Program and annual Palm Beach Opera
Vocal Competition. Daniel Biaggi has become the spokesperson
for the organization in private and public affairs, and
serves as Host of the Grand Finals Concert of the Palm Beach
Opera Vocal Competition.
A
frequent panel discussion guest and competition judge,
Daniel Biaggi has served among others as panelist for the
2008 Opera America Conference in Denver, and has been jury
member for the Tucker Foundation Career Grant Competition
and Awards Nomination Panel, Dallas Opera Guild Vocal
Competition, Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, Shreveport
Opera Singer of the Year Competition. His commitment to
Young Singers has led him to be invited to MissionAudition
as part of Sherrill Milnes V.O.I.C. Experience, NYIOP
pre-selection auditions in New York, Berlin and Zurich, and
has been Advisor and Judge for the National Society of Arts
and Letters Local Florida Chapter Competition.
Prior to his engagement at the Palm Beach Opera, Daniel
Biaggi was Associate Director at Guy Barzilay International
Artist Management in New York, co-managing the careers of
over 40 singers worldwide. He has served on the faculties of
Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, and
Sarah Lawrence College in New York, coaching singers in
operatic and art song repertoire with an emphasis on
languages and diction. Daniel Biaggi has given master
classes and performance seminars at the Juilliard School of
Music as well as the Chautauqua Voice Institute. He has
worked extensively for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, giving
pre-performance introduction lectures and participating in
the organization's various Teaching Artist Programs as
performer and educator.
A classically trained singer, Daniel Biaggi has performed
operatic roles and recitals in the US as well as Europe. He
holds a Post-Graduate and Master's Degree in Vocal
Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, a Bachelor
of Music Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of
Music, and a Certificate of Musicology from the University
of Berne, Switzerland.
About OPERA America
Palm Beach Opera is
dedicated to producing live opera at an international
standard of excellence and to enriching the life of the
communities it serves with a diverse offering of educational
programs. Founded in 1961, the fully professional Palm Beach
Opera presents main stage performances at the Kravis Center
for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach and is a proud
member of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.