The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO Ian Derrer announced on Tuesday, Feb. 10, that he will not renew his contract when it concludes at the end of this fiscal year. He will take on the position as General Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in Toronto which was also announced on Tuesday. He will assume the new role on July 1 when COC’s 2026/27 season begins.
“This is a bittersweet moment for The Dallas Opera,” Board Chair Quincy Roberts said in today’s announcement. “While we are thrilled for Ian and his new adventure, we’re sorry to lose such a creative and collaborative leader. His tenure with the company has been marked by great successes, including the recent fundraising campaign which has strengthened our fiscal position. We are grateful for his dedication to advancing opera in North Texas, and we wish him well.”
Ian Derrer’s decade-long tenure at TDO began first as Artistic Administrator followed by eight years as its General Director and CEO. His time with TDO was put to the test by navigating the global pandemic; creating innovative ways to reach audiences around the world; raising $54.5 million in just six months and doubling its endowment, and commissioning and mounting multiple world premieres, the most recent of which garnered worldwide attention and rave reviews: Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
“I am truly proud of the work that we’ve accomplished here in Dallas, and I know that I leave this great company in a solid position for its future,” Derrer menioned in the press release. “I am so very fortunate to have been able to work with a board, staff, and community that deeply loves opera, especially our music director, Emmanuel Villaume. While I look forward to this new opportunity with COC, I offer my sincerest gratitude and admiration to everyone at TDO and to the generous arts community in North Texas.”
We profiled Derrer ahead of TDO’s 2024/25 season for Applause! which was later excerpted into this January’s Out North Texas visitors guide. He spoke not only of the work TDO would be doing that season, but also being part of the LGBTQ+ leadership among Dallas’ premiere arts organizations.
“I think that’s been one of the most wonderful things about being in Dallas. [With] this board, this company, that was never an issue. That was never, never something that I felt that I needed to hide or not be proud of,” he said.
“I think that one of the most beautiful things about this art form is that it takes you however you are, whoever you are.”
Under his tenure, In fact, TDO introduced Pride Nights and has partnered with Resource Center and Lambda Legal to celebrate both the opera and the LGBTQ+ community.
The appointment follows an extensive national and international search led by the COC Board of Directors’ Search Committee that spanned more than a year. Recruitment also reflected the Board’s commitment to identifying the best leader equipped to guide the company forward.
“Ian has demonstrated impressive executive leadership across artistic programming, critical fundraising, and community bridge-building—all areas that the Canadian Opera Company has identified as strategic priorities for long-term sustainability and growth,” Marcia Lewis Brown, Chair of the COC Board of Directors said in COC’s announcement today. “The Search Committee was deeply moved by his integrity, curiosity, and people-centered approach to leadership. It was evident right away that Ian’s values align strongly with those of the Canadian Opera Company: the understanding that success is built on collaboration and care for all who bring this art form to life.”
–Rich Lopez