Annie Burridge, Austin Opera

Resilience in the Performing Arts: Austin Opera and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Annie Burridge will discuss the ways in which Austin Opera swiftly pivoted its offerings to continue producing in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, earning recognition as Broadway World's 2020 Opera Company of the Year.

About our speaker:

Annie Burridge was named General Director & CEO of Austin Opera in October 2016 following a nine-year tenure at Opera Philadelphia, where she most recently served as Managing Director. Since joining Austin Opera she led the development of a new strategic plan; launched a new artistic initiative – Opera ATX – bringing groundbreaking artists to unexpected and unique venues throughout Austin; secured three national innovation grants totaling $600,000; established numerous community partnerships including the first formalized partnership with the Butler School of Music; and increased the company’s endowment funds by 100%. 

Annie is Vice-Chair of OPERA America and a frequent speaker on topics related to arts administration including change management, workplace culture, fundraising, branding, and civic practice. She has been a keynote speaker at numerous national and international gatherings of OPERA America, Tessitura, Creative Partnerships Australia, and CultureBusiness. She is also on the Board of Spectrum Theatre, an Austin organization dedicated to provoking stories of the human condition as seen through the spectrum of the African American experience.

Before switching her focus to administration, Annie performed as a coloratura soprano with several opera companies and orchestras and was a young artist with Des Moines Metro Opera. 

Annie holds a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.M. in Voice Performance and a M.M. in Opera Studies from the New England Conservatory. She graduated the valedictorian of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University, where she earned a B.M. in Voice Performance with a Minor in Business Administration.  Annie is an alumnus of Wharton’s Women’s Executive Leadership program and OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive program. She was a 2017 Nonprofit Leadership Fellow at the Aspen Institute. 

Annie was named a 2017 “Mover and Shaper” by Musical America and won the Penn State University College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Award in 2018.