Utah Sypmony | Utah Opera President and CEO Melia Tourangeau is leaving to take over the same role at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Melia Tourangeu joined the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera in the spring of 2008 at the beginning of what is now known as the Great Recession. It was a period that was particularly hard for art and music organizations across the county, but USUO board chair Dave Petersen says Tourangeu’s leadership helped get the arts non-profit get through some of its toughest of times.
“She leaves behind an organization that’s stronger than when she found it, that has better vision than when she came, and that knows where it’s going and how to get there,” he says.
During her tenure, Tourangeu also helped increase performance revenues to more than $1 million and was key in hiring Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer. She says leaving Utah is one of the hardest decisions she’s ever had to make, but she’s excited for the challenge of her new job.
“I look forward to building the board and bringing the administrative team together and aligning the organization to a real laser focused vision of what they need to accomplish,” she says.
Petersen says the board will take the next few months to find a replacement. In the meantime, former board chair Patricia Richards will take over as interim CEO.