Sarasota Opera is happy to announce that Michael Chang has joined its staff. As Director of Marketing and Public Relations he will oversee the company’s marketing, communications, and outreach strategies. He comes to Sarasota from New York where he was managing director for MC Art Strategies, a consultancy for nonprofit visual and performing arts institutions.
“We are all very excited to welcome Michael to the Opera,” Executive Director Susan T. Danis said. “His amazing background in opera, cultural tourism, education, and (of course) marketing coupled with his love of music make him the perfect fit for the position. He also has an infectious smile and a great sense of humor.”
Mr. Chang was executive director for Downtown Music at Grace, a community concert series in White Plains, New York. As Executive Secretary of the Board of Directors for Maverick Concerts, a summer chamber music festival in Woodstock, New York, he served as marketing and publicity chair. For the last five years, he has been an adjunct instructor in the Arts Administration Certificate Program for New York University SCPS. Among the courses he taught are music and concert administration, public relations for the visual and performing arts, and performing arts management.
Prior to returning to the arts world as an administrator and educator, Mr. Chang worked for twenty-five years in international tourism as marketing manager for arts and cultural tourism development for the Hong Kong Tourism Board. In a past life, he was an assistant professor of music (voice and opera) at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, while performing as a concert and operatic artist.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Mr. Chang received a bachelor of arts in music education and performance (piano and voice) from San Jose State College, and earned a master’s of music in opera performance from Indiana University, where he studied as a teaching (chamber music) and performance (opera) fellow.
“I’m so pleased and excited to be joining the team of professionals at Sarasota Opera, an organization that has been on my radar for many years as a performer, an educator, an arts administrator, and most importantly, as an unabashed lover of great opera performance,” Mr. Chang says. “Sarasota Opera is considered a precious gem in the world of opera and performing arts. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues, and, of course, meeting the Sarasota community of opera lovers. Sarasota used to be a frequent stop on my holiday itinerary; now it’s going to be my home. What more can anyone ask?”