Annie Burridge was named General Director & CEO of Austin Opera in October 2016. Upon arrival, she led the development of the company’s new strategic plan centered on artistic growth, innovation, and civic engagement. She launched a new artistic initiative – Opera ATX – bringing groundbreaking artists to unexpected and unique venues throughout Austin; appointed the company’s first Curator of Hispanic and Latinx Programming funded through the creation of the Butler Fund for Spanish Programming; established a new model for co-production partnerships; secured four national innovation grants totaling $800,000; established numerous community partnerships including the Consulate General of Mexico in Austin; and tripled the company’s endowment funds.
Annie joined Austin Opera following a nine-year tenure at Opera Philadelphia, where she most recently served as Managing Director. She is Co-Chair of OPERA America and has been a keynote speaker at SXSW, OPERA America, Tessitura, Creative Partnerships Australia, and Culture Business in Switzerland.
Annie holds a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.M. in Voice Performance and a M.M. in Opera Studies from the New England Conservatory. She graduated the valedictorian of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University, where she earned a B.M. in Voice Performance with a Minor in Business Administration.