FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Contact: Suzanne Calvin 214.443.1014
suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
The Dallas Opera is Proud to Announce
Lisa Bury
As Chief Advancement and Strategy Officer
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New Position Oversees Development, Marketing
And TDO Strategic Planning
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SMU Grad Previously Served in Senior Positions at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florida Grand Opera
DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 – The Dallas Opera is pleased to announce the creation of an important new position within the Senior Staff to be filled by renowned arts executive Lisa Bury (B’YUR-ree), most recently the Interim Chief Development Officer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In the comprehensive role of Chief Advancement and Strategy Officer, she will report directly to the Board of Directors and Ian Derrer, The Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO.
“This new position,” Derrer explains, “is designed to help guide a strategic plan that will encompass development, marketing and company communications in a manner that supports the future operating and capital needs of The Dallas Opera.
“In addition to her wide-ranging professional accomplishments, it is clear that Ms. Bury has both a genuine passion for this art form and confidence in the ability of classical music to transform lives and change our community for the better. I am delighted to welcome her to The Dallas Opera.”
This year, Ms. Bury led the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s development staff as it raised $24 million in operational support, and completed the ambitious “Tanglewood Forever” campaign, exceeding its $64 million goal by $6 million. During this period, she also implemented a donor-centric communication style and created the organization’s first donor impact report; helped in future operations planning; designed a professional development plan for her staff; and provided a comprehensive analysis for the BSO Board Philanthropy Committee pertaining to departmental staffing, strategies, and tactics.
“In her time at the BSO, Lisa Bury successfully partnered with Board members, Development staff and colleagues across the organization, helping to launch a new Philanthropy Committee while overseeing the close of a successful capital and endowment campaign and continued growth in annual giving,” said the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Eunice and Julian Cohen President and CEO Mark Volpe.
While Director of Development at Seattle Opera from January of 2011 until February 2018, Ms. Bury led a team that raised $127 million in operating and capital support. This figure includes the $46 million raised by the company for construction of a stunning new Opera Center adjacent to McCaw Hall (Seattle Opera’s principle performance venue). Lisa Bury personally solicited and closed a number of six-and-seven-figure gifts, including the lead $5 million capital campaign gift.
This violinist and violist—and former Suzuki program administrator—used her interpersonal skills to boost the number of board members engaged in face-to-face solicitation, and was successful in recruiting several younger philanthropists for the Seattle Opera board. Ms. Bury actively pursued a more diverse staff, and restructured the development department so that each staff member managed an appropriate portfolio of donors.
Lisa Bury earned both an M.B.A. and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She holds additional degrees from Ithaca College in New York and Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Ms. Bury has a previous connection to The Dallas Opera. In 1991, she worked as an intern to Director of Production John Gage.
A long-time member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) where she has acted as both a presenter and committee chair, Ms. Bury has also been a presenter at OPERA America, the League of American Orchestras, the Tessitura Conference, and the Association of California Orchestras, for which she also served as a board member and development committee chair.
“I am thrilled to be returning to The Dallas Opera, where I began my career as an intern, and especially to be working with Ian Derrer and TDO’s dynamic Board of Directors at this exciting time in the company’s history,” Bury said.
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ABOUT THE DALLAS OPERA:
One of the leading opera companies in the country, The Dallas Opera has an extraordinary legacy of world-class productions and thrilling premieres featuring the greatest operatic artists of our time. Inaugurated by the incomparable Maria Callas in 1957, TDO is known for the notable U.S. debuts of a host of legendary artists including Plácido Domingo, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, Franco Zeffirelli, and Sir David McVicar. The company has long been an industry leader and innovator through groundbreaking initiatives, including the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, free public simulcasts, acclaimed art song recitals, the national vocal competition, special concerts, and outstanding family and award-winning education programs. TDO’s home is the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, a jewel in the Dallas Arts District. As one of the largest performing arts employers in North Texas, TDO is proudly committed to diversity, onstage and off, and is a major contributor to the economic vitality and international cultural reputation of this region.
2019-2020 SEASON SPONSOR
The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family
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EVENTS, GUESTS AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Elsa von Seggern Foundation;
Texas Instruments Foundation; the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs;
The Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.
Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera.
Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News.
All performances in The Dallas Opera’s 63rd International Season will take place in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, unless otherwise indicated. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2:00 p.m. unless otherwise stated. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance and assistance is available for the hearing impaired.
The Joy and Ronald Mankoff Pre-Opera Talk will begin one hour prior to curtain at most performances. Full and Flex subscriptions are designed to meet the needs of every budget. Prices range from just $57 (for three performances of your choice) to a top orchestra floor price of $777 for all five mainstage productions. Single tickets are priced from $25 to $289 (a few box seats may be higher). For additional information or to make your purchase, call 214.443.1000 or visit www.dallasopera.org.
Photo of Lisa Bury by Ryuji Suzuki
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