We’re excited to welcome our new President and General Director Kevin Ramach!

After watching Ramach’s leadership while he served as the company’s top executive on an interim basis, Minnesota Opera’s Board of Directors made the unanimous decision to appoint him president and general director. “As we enter Minnesota Opera’s 50th anniversary season, it seems especially appropriate that someone with such deep roots in the company’s history should lead the organization,” said Minnesota Opera Board Chair Shelli Chase. “I know I speak for the entire board when I say how impressed we have been with his leadership of the strategic planning process and with how he galvanized the company through a difficult transition. We’re thrilled to have found an extraordinary talent in Kevin Ramach.”

Ramach is a nationally respected opera professional, with deep expertise in the realm of production and a long history with the company. He first joined Minnesota Opera’s staff in 1988, and for the following 11 years, he served in a number of positions in production and operations. He left Minnesota in 1999 to join Kentucky Opera as production manager, a position he held for seven years. In his final season there, he served in an interim executive leadership position, during which he produced a statewide tour of a children’s opera and led the company’s planning and budgeting process while maintaining a balanced budget. Ramach returned to Minnesota Opera in 2006 as production director, where for six years he was responsible for all physical and technical aspects of the company’s productions. His leadership extended beyond the production department to include managing labor relations, producing Minnesota Opera’s HD video projects, and representing the company’s interests with the Arts Partnership and Ordway throughout the planning process for the concert hall and production wing expansion. Nationally, Ramach is sought for his expertise on a wide range of production-related topics. For the opera industry’s national service organization, OPERA America, Ramach has served as a conference panelist on issues ranging from the reuse of production materials in scenic design to leading coproductions.

“Kevin has been an effective part of the company’s creative team for years, particularly as we’ve broken new ground with world premieres, high-level coproductions and media projects,” said Artistic Director Dale Johnson. “I look forward to working with Kevin in his new leadership capacity, and I’m excited about what our partnership can bring to the community.”

In acceptance of his appointment, Ramach said, “I am honored to be asked to lead Minnesota Opera. Having spent more than half of my career at this organization, I believe in its forward-looking mission and am proud of the compelling art that it creates for the community as well as its culture of creativity and financial stewardship. Despite a challenging economy, the company balanced its budget and achieved remarkable successes this season: record ticket sales, a huge audience for the groundbreaking webcast of Werther and a Pulitzer Prize for Kevin Puts’ world premiere, Silent Night. I am delighted to take my partnership with Dale, the talented staff and the dedicated Board of Directors to the next level, and to see Minnesota Opera reach even greater heights in the seasons to come.”