Four Key Stateside Departures

Christopher Hahn has announced that the 2025-26 season will be his last as general director for the Pittsburgh Opera. He was appointed to the position in 2008, after serving for eight years as artistic director.

The South African native began his career with the San Francisco Opera and rose to manage the company’s Opera Center and the Merola Opera Program. After 13 years, he moved to Los Angeles as the artistic administrator of that city’s opera company.

In Pittsburgh, he introduced Baroque and contemporary operas to the company’s repertoire, and by his departure will have produced five world premieres. He also built one of the nation’s premier resident artist training programs

Hahn successfully navigated the pandemic to have his company become the first to have live indoor performances for in-person audiences during the height of the pandemic. “No single person is more responsible for Pittsburgh Opera’s many successes these past two and a half decades,” noted the company’s board chairman. “His vision and dedication are truly second to none.”

Pittsburgh Opera hopes to name his successor by early 2026.

Jennifer Kessler will be leaving as executive director of the International Contemporary Ensemble at the end of March for a new position in arts philanthropy. During her five-year tenure, which she described as “the privilege of my professional life,” Kessler oversaw groundbreaking commissions and performances and improvements to programs for early career composers; brought the Ensemble Evolution for emerging sound artists to the New School’s College of Performing Arts; and deepened a partnership with the BMI Foundation to premiere commissions from recipients of their Composer’s Awards.

She also managed the organization’s artistic leadership transition to George Lewis; spearheaded transformational initiatives during the pandemic; formed a Curation Task Force of artists; and convened a series of New Music Town Halls.

The Ensemble expects to appoint a new executive director during Spring 2025.

Amy Ginsburg will step down as CEO of the Southwest Florida Symphony on June 30, having been with the organization since 2013, starting in marketing and development and working her way up to the top post by 2016. Board President Tom Uhler called her the orchestra’s “guiding light for over a decade.”

Among significant accomplishments, Ginsburg’s tenure has seen a major increase in concert attendance, four tours of the state, creation of a mobile classroom (The Music Box Truck), and establishing a permanent home for the orchestra through relationships with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank.  A search committee for her successor is in formation.

After 12 years, Sarah Ioannides has decided to step down as music director of Symphony Tacoma at the end of the 2025/26 season. A commitment to artistic excellence; an expansive, diverse repertoire; the commissioning of new works; and collaborations within the community have been hallmarks of her tenure.

“I remain proud of all we achieved,” said Ioannides, who described Tacoma as “a terrific place to raise a family, and… [a] wonderful community.” The president of the symphony’s board expressed gratitude for her “artistic leadership and creativity” and added that “her impact will be felt for years to come.”

Details of Ioannides’s final season will be announced soon. The 2026/27 season is expected to feature guest conductors who will be candidates to succeed her.