June 18, 2015 – Norfolk & Richmond, VA – Virginia Opera is pleased to announce a key staff appointment. Robert Cinnante, has been appointed to the position of Director of Education and Outreach, a post with statewide responsibility based in the Richmond offices of Virginia Opera. Mr. Cinnante joins Virginia Opera with the assignment of expanding the Education Program, both increasing its impact and outreach, and shaping the touring arm to ensure a broader visibility and understanding of the art form.
Photo Credit | Caroline Ly
The primary responsibilities of the Director of Education and Outreach include creating and supervising the Statewide Education and Outreach program for Virginia Opera; developing relationships with key educators to maximize in-school touring opportunities; and creating and coordinating the artistic program content in conjunction with Virginia Opera’s goals. Cinnante remarks, “What immediately struck me about this organization is its authentic commitment to education, boldly espoused in the opening statement of its recently authored Education Strategic Plan: To Secure The Youngest Opera Audience in the United States by 2025. I am eager to work with my future colleagues to take up this charge, and believe that doing so will empower generations of opera listeners to come.”
President and CEO Russell P. Allen commented, “Following on the heels of an exhaustive national search, Virginia Opera struck gold with the discovery of someone with Mr. Cinnante’s knowledge of the components of arts education and commitment to furthering the understanding of opera to as large a number of citizens within the Commonwealth as possible. With his experience and abilities, Mr. Cinnante will hit the ground running.”
Opera education is a core component of Virginia Opera’s mission and has been, throughout the Opera’s 40-year history, a major undertaking of the company, reaching over 125,000 students and adults annually. In-School touring throughout the state, specialized public education programs in all three main stage markets, continuing education programs at numerous colleges and universities, and opera lectures are all apart of Virginia Opera’s regular education offerings.
Deborah Wyld, Virginia Opera Executive Committee member and former Chair of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, stated that she believed Mr. Cinnante to be a “perfect fit” for Virginia Opera and welcomes him to the organization. Jeannie Baliles, also on the Opera’s Executive Committee and former first lady of Virginia, cited Mr. Cinnante’s “enthusiasm and likability” as personal traits that will ensure his success in an incredibly people-oriented business.
Howard Bender, Vice President of Central Virginia/Northern Virginia Operations remarks, “We are excited to have Robert join the Central Virginia office, the Opera’s most central location in the management and development of its statewide Education/Outreach Program. His combined knowledge of opera and background in Education and Outreach is a potent combination, which will serve our communities well.”
For more Virginia Opera information, contact Maggi George, Director of Marketing at 757.627.9545 ext. 3316, or via e-mail at Maggi.George@vaopera.org.
About Virginia Opera: Virginia Opera Association, Inc., currently in its 41st year of operation, is known and respected nationwide for the identification and presentation of the finest young artists, for the musical and dramatic integrity of its productions, and for the ingenuity and variety of its education and outreach programs. Mainstage performances in three markets across the Commonwealth reach nearly 50,000 attendees annually. In March of 1994, by unanimous vote of the Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Opera was named The Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia in recognition of the organization’s contribution to the state as well as to the world of opera. For tickets and information visit vaopera.org or call 866.673.7282.