By GEORGE HOOVER
Pittsburgh Opera has named William Powers as its next General Director, marking a homecoming for an arts administrator with deep roots in both the company and the city. Powers will assume the role on July 1, 2026, following the retirement of Christopher Hahn at the close of the 2025–26 season.
Hahn’s departure brings to an end a remarkable era for the company. He has led Pittsburgh Opera as General Director since 2008, after serving eight years as Artistic Director, making him the second-longest-serving General Director in the organization’s history.
Powers currently serves as Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2021. His relationship with Pittsburgh Opera spans more than 14 years, when he advanced through a series of leadership roles, including Director of Artistic Administration, Director of Administration and Artistic Operations, and, ultimately, Managing Director.
Beyond Pittsburgh, Powers has built an extensive résumé in opera and vocal training. His professional experience includes work with The Juilliard School’s Department of Vocal Arts, the Artistic Department at The Metropolitan Opera, the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and service as General Director of the Berkshire Opera Company.
Pittsburgh Opera’s leadership cites both experience and continuity as central to the appointment. Board President Eugene M. Welsh emphasized Powers’ deep understanding of the organization and its community, noting his proven ability to lead performing arts institutions. Board Chair Michele Fabrizi echoed that sentiment, describing Powers’ appointment as the culmination of years of preparation and leadership, bringing immediate trust and confidence from both staff and patrons.
Hahn expressed strong support for his successor, calling Powers a trusted colleague whose judgment, integrity, and work ethic have consistently strengthened the company.
While guiding the company forward, Powers is tasked with maintaining its artistic standards and ensuring long-term financial health. Reporting to him will be the Managing Director and the Directors of Artistic Operations, Development, Education, Marketing & Communications, and Production.
onStage Pittsburgh’s George Hoover had the opportunity to interview Powers via e-mail just prior to the formal announcement of his appointment as General Director.
GH: You know Pittsburgh Opera and our performing arts community well. What feels most exciting to you about becoming Pittsburgh Opera’s General Director at this moment in the company’s history? What do you see as the greatest challenges in the immediate future?
WP: I had the pleasure of working with retiring General Director Christopher Hahn for many years as he established his vision for the company. I am honored to carry on that legacy, but also eager to guide the organization in its next chapter. I look forward to reuniting with Music Director Antony Walker, all of my colleagues on the staff, and the many donors and patrons who generously support the Opera. Having spent over 25 years in the opera industry, I can say with certainty that Pittsburgh Opera is one of the leading opera companies in the country and known for its standard of excellence, creativity, innovation, and its renowned Resident Artist Program. I look forward to carrying the mantle of the company’s rich legacy, but I am also eager and excited to embrace the opportunities and challenges as we shape its future in the community that I call home.
Future wisdom comes from past lessons. As in most transitional periods, this is a time for us at Pittsburgh Opera to evaluate and review things, to do some organizational interrogation and ask what is and what is not working, to begin evaluating and changing patterns, to become more curious and inquisitive, and to continue challenging ourselves to find creative ways to engage our vibrant community.
— General Director William Powers
As with all arts organizations, Pittsburgh Opera faces strong headwinds. The market forces bearing down on arts organizations are ever-changing, and they present new and complex challenges every year. The costs of producing are rising, the reliance on the donor base is increasing, and it takes much more effort these days to engage ticket buyers. But future wisdom comes from past lessons. As in most transitional periods, this is a time for us at Pittsburgh Opera to evaluate and review things, to do some organizational interrogation and ask what is and what is not working, to begin evaluating and changing patterns, to become more curious and inquisitive, and to continue challenging ourselves to find creative ways to engage our vibrant community.
GH: Pittsburgh’s cultural institutions often work in close orbit with one another. How do you see Pittsburgh Opera fitting into that ecosystem, and are there collaborations, in your areas of responsibility as General Director, that you’re interested exploring?
WP: I definitely plan to explore new and continued collaborations. There are many benefits to this both artistically and for the community. The Opera has several long-time collaborators (e.g. Attack Theatre, Chatham Baroque, etc.) which I hope will continue to have fruitful relationships. My work at the Opera also included fostering relationships with area performing arts organizations to feature our Resident Artists.
In my current role with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) I have made community collaborations a significant focus of my work. PYSO’s collaborations have increased over the last five years and include The Violins of Hope Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Holocaust Center, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Chamber Music Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras, Allegheny County Special Events, EQT Children’s Theatre, The Cultural Trust, and the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
So with all that said, I will be reaching out to several organizations early in my tenure — I am afraid I am not in the position to offer any specifics until I have the opportunity to speak with them — to start exploring future possibilities … both for full-scale collaborations, as well as smaller initiatives. These will include interdisciplinary collaborators (other arts organizations) as well as intradisciplinary relationships (non-arts related community organizations). I am also interested in exploring site-specific and immersive operatic experiences. And finally, it’s important that we expand discussions and relationships with area universities and music programs to explore more sustained collaborations that engage and celebrate students.
GH: Opera lovers value tradition, but the art form is also evolving.
How do you see your role impacting the balance between the core repertoire audiences cherish and newer works or fresh approaches that might bring different voices into the opera house? And bringing in new audience members?
WP: Considering the trends and patterns of modern arts patrons, I envision the operatic programming as a curated “portfolio” of offerings, in a variety of formats, which celebrates the core repertoire, newer/recent works, and innovative works that advance the art form (commissions, world premieres, etc.). Pittsburgh Opera has had great success developing and experimenting with this over the last 10 to 15 years. This allows for the celebration of the breadth of operatic repertoire, but also creatively and proactively addresses the changing patterns of audience. Audiences are more culturally omnivorous than they ever have been, seeking a variety of “art experiences” in their buying habits. For Pittsburgh Opera, there is no question that the operatic chestnuts continue to be a fantastic point of entry for new opera-goers, and they are the mainstays for the core repertoire audiences. But over the last 20 years, there has been a growing appetite for and enjoyment of smaller, intimate operatic works that bring the audience closer to the story. In addition, Pittsburgh Opera has a growing legacy of adding to the operatic repertoire with commissions and world premieres. While many of these works have themes that are universal, I think we can explore creating works based on Pittsburgh stories that have universal themes as well. I hope we can also consider programming that includes works that are arguably operatic in scale but may be more cross-genre. Some of these works have mass appeal at the box office and are wonderful ways to engage new patrons and to excite our core audience.
GH: Opera can be a robust connector beyond the stage. In what ways do you hope Pittsburgh Opera will deepen its relationship with the community — whether through education, outreach or storytelling that resonates the region?
WP: I think deepening the relationships with the community needs to inform our choices and be integrated into the fabric of what we do. In my mind, there are four pillars that can help us strengthen and create deeper connections with our community:
1). Community collaborations (see previous question).
2). Continued engagement of youth: Having spent the last five years working with and engaging the incredibly talented youth musicians in southwestern Pennsylvania, it’s imperative that we continue directly engaging with them. I have witnessed first-hand their commitment and passion toward music and music learning; their discipline of practice, their joy in music making, and their thrill of performing. It gives me great faith for the future. It’s important we continue to nurture them, to create a sense of belonging, to demystify perceptions, and to make music of all kinds accessible and available.
4). Expanded use of delivery platforms and mediums: Digital engagement is everywhere. We must evaluate how we engage with digital platforms and seek to create more curated content that we utilize on them. This is easy to say … and it can feel almost impossible to believe you are creating a signal in all the noise. But the proliferation of material through phones, tablets etc is so prominent, so it’s important that we use our collective creativity to be innovative and proactive with our digital content. This will entail some change in thinking as well as taking some risks to see what resonates. You can only imagine the multitude of ideas that might emerge, but the implementation has to be strategic, well thought out, and sustained.
5). Finding belonging, connection and community at the opera: As we consider expanded digital content creation, one of the underlying themes needs to be driving people towards attending a live performance. When people attend the opera, or any live performance for that matter, there is the social and cultural value of shared humanity. Their individual responses to the opera may differ, but they have them together. And they connect with others in doing so. It’s important that we reflect upon and evaluate how it is we can enhance that experience. It’s not without its challenges … we need to continue addressing long-standing perceptions, etc., but we must ensure that patrons (particularly new patrons) don’t feel out of place or disoriented by the experience. As I drive around town I like seeing the Opera’s branding campaign: “Where can we take you.” I can’t help but think that it would be interesting to consider, “Where can we take you; and where can we go together.”
As Powers prepares to take the helm, Pittsburgh Opera is set to build on its legacy while continuing to refine how it connects with audiences and the community. His return points to continuity, along with a practical, forward-looking approach to the company’s future.
Powers is graduate of Hamilton College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music, he also holds an MBA in Finance from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business Administration. He and his wife — an accomplished opera singer and member of the voice faculty at Carnegie Mellon University — reside in Mt. Lebanon. Their daughter is currently a student at Hamilton College.
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