Pittsburgh Opera announced on Tuesday, January 13th, the hiring of William Powers as its new General Director, effective July 1st, 2026. Bill joined both Jim Cunningham and Anna Singer on QED's Morning and Afternoon shows to talk about this exciting change.
Bill has been the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2021, and prior to that he spent 14 years with Pittsburgh Opera as Director of Artistic Administration, and then as Managing Director. He talks with Jim about the energetic future of classical music and the importance of fostering the education of young artists. He also teases some of his vision about the future of Pittsburgh Opera.
Bill's morning interview was also accompanied by a performance of "I Want Magic" from André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, sung by Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Lauryn Davis and accompanied by Assistant Coach and pianist James Lesniak.
Anna and Bill discuss his history with Pittsburgh Opera and his return to the organization. Bill also dives deeper into his professional and personal life, including how he met his wife, soprano Sari Gruber. Anna and Bill have an optimistic chat about the state of opera as an art form.
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