OPERA America Names 20 Global Leaders for 2026 Leadership Intensive

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Participants from Juilliard, Pittsburgh Opera, Austin Opera, and more join the cohort.

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OPERA America has announced the 20 participants in the 2026 Leadership Intensive. The program engages administrators from North America, South America, and Europe in an extended professional development experience that builds their leadership capacity and advances their careers.

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The 2026 Leadership Intensive participants are:

Program participants will travel to New York City for a weeklong intensive, August 24–29, 2026. Through a series of seminars and practicums, the cohort will address strategic issues, build essential skills, and foster international connections. Over the course of the year, participants will take part in additional professional development opportunities, including attendance at OPERA America's annual conference in spring 2027.

The 14 United States participants were selected by OPERA America from a pool of 55 applicants through a competitive process, with candidates evaluated based on their career achievements, goals, and leadership potential. OPERA America's partner organizations, the Association for Opera in Canada, Opera Europa, and Ópera Latinoamérica, hosted their own evaluations and selected two participants each.

The Leadership Intensive program exemplifies OPERA America's long-standing commitment to identify and support the professional growth of leaders who will help move opera forward. Approximately 10% of all general directors in the field today are graduates of the Leadership Intensive and other OPERA America professional development programs.

More information about the Leadership Intensive and OPERA America's professional development programs is available at operaamerica.org/LeadDev .

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/OPERA-America-Unveils-20-Participants-For-2026-Leadership-Intensive-20260505)._