Leadership

Richard Russell
General & Artistic Director

Richard Russell is the General & Artistic Director of Sarasota Opera. A former singer, he performed with the company for four seasons beginning in 1989 as an apprentice artist, studio artist, and principal. Among the roles he performed in other regional opera companies were Hoffman in The Tales of Hoffman, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus, Rodolfo in La bohème, and the title role in Andrea Chenier. As a concert artist he sang the world premiere Lewis Rosengarten’s Three Poems by Arnaut Daniel for Tenor and Orchestra with the Alabama Symphony.

After transitioning out of professional performing, he joined Citigroup’s Emerging Markets Sales and Trading group and within a short period he was a Vice-President and Global Webmaster for eCommerce efforts across Citigroup’s over 30 emerging markets countries in Latin America, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Africa.

In 2005, he accepted the position of Director of Marketing at Sarasota Opera. He left in 2010 to become General Director of Princeton-based Opera New Jersey, where he was in charge of both the artistic and administrative sides of the company. He returned to Sarasota in 2012 to become Executive Director. During his tenure Sarasota Opera has increased individual giving by over 50%, more than doubled its endowment, and completed its world-renowned Verdi Cycle. Mr. Russell managed the construction and fundraising for the new Steinwachs Artist Residences for Sarasota Opera, which encompasses 30 units housing up to 70 artists.

He also negotiated and managed the purchase of stock of over 55,000 opera costumes, representing 135 separate productions to increase Sarasota Opera's inventory of costumes available for its use and for rentals to other opera, theater, and film companies.

He was formerly on the board of the Arts & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County and sits on the board of Visit Sarasota County, of which he is currently Chair.

He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in voice performance and choral conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.