Chief Development Officer

Detroit Opera - Detroit, MI
Detroit Opera seeks a Chief Development Officer that will be responsible for all contributed revenue for Detroit Opera. Through a positive and progressive leadership approach, guided by the artistic mission of the organization, the Chief Development Officer will provide the direction necessary to ensure Detroit Opera’s contributed revenue goals are met, ensuring mission focus and financial strength in the short and long term. The Chief Development Officer will have oversight of and play an active role in leading annual, capital, and endowment fundraising strategies and activities as well as special campaigns for monies raised from individual, corporate, foundation, and government sources.

Known as Michigan Opera Theatre for most of its existence, the company changed its name in 2022 to Detroit Opera. The company is in an exciting period of transition that began with the appointment of Yuval Sharon as the Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director in 2020. His vision is to transform Detroit Opera’s programming model toward more self-produced and original productions. Under Sharon’s leadership, Detroit Opera has attracted an extraordinary artistic team including the appointment of world-renowned soprano Christine Goerke as its Associate Artistic Director in 2021 and Mexican American conductor Roberto Kalb as its Music Director in 2022. They join Artistic Advisor for Dance Jon H. Teeuwissen in leading Detroit Opera as the foremost producer and presenter of opera, music theater, and dance in the Great Lakes Region. Detroit Opera is committed to bringing music to all people of Detroit including through free, outdoor performances that take place during the summer and summer programs for young people that allow students to gain experience in not only performing, but also creating their own compositions and dances.

"To honor a beloved legacy and to embrace a new vision of what opera and dance can mean for our unique community requires a Chief Development Officer with the ability to understand diverse perspectives and acknowledge the significance of differences and complexities in backgrounds, cultures, values, and viewpoints. We understand this as the foundation for an inclusive and creative environment. I look forward to meeting you." — Patty Isacson Sabee, President & CEO