charles mackay, General Director
Charles MacKay, Gerneral Director of The Santa Fe Opera, is only the third individual to hold this title in the Company's 55 year history; the other two being the founder, John Crosby (1957-2000) and Richard Gaddes (2000-2008). Mr. MacKay's tenure began October 1, 2008.
Mr. MacKay's association with The Santa Fe Opera is a long one. Raised in Santa Fe, his first professional involvement in the field of opera was as a French horn player in The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra. Subsequently, he held a number of positions with the Company, including Box Office Manager, Development and Sales Manager, and finally, Business Manager.
He left Santa Fe in 1979 to join the Spoleto Festival U.S.A. in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, eventually becoming Acting General Manager. In 1984, Mr. MacKay was invited by Richard Gaddes to serve as Executive Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL). He was named General Director the following year, remaining there for 23 years, until 2008. During Mr. MacKay's tenure at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, the company gained national and international acclaim for the presentation of innovative repertory and the discovery of important young singers.
Mr. MacKay served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of OPERA America, the national service organization to the field, for eight years until June, 2008, and remains a member of the Board. A frequent adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, he is a member of the Curtis Institute of Music Board of Overseers and the Board of the William M. Sullivan Musical Foundation. He also served as Chairman of the Opera-Music Theater panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the recipient of a Missouri Arts Award in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of the arts in Missouri; a Doctor of Music honoris causa from the University of Missouri-St. Louis; and the St. Louis Arts & Education Council's Excellence in the Arts Award.
former general director richard gaddes
Richard Gaddes first came to The Santa Fe Opera in 1969 as its Artistic Administrator. In 1976 Mr. Gaddes was invited to establish an opera company in St. Louis. He founded and was General Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis until 1985, when he became Chief Executive of St. Louis's Grand Center. Mr. Gaddes continued to serve The Santa Fe Opera as consultant during the eighties and in 1994 he returned to Santa Fe permanently. Mr. Gaddes succeeded Founder/Director John Crosby as General Director in 2000. He retired September 2008.
Born in England, Richard Gaddes studied at Trinity College of Music in London. He inaugurated a series of lunchtime concerts at Wigmore Hall designed to give performing opportunities to young musicians. It was in England that he met John Crosby, who invited him to Santa Fe.
As General Director, Mr. Gaddes brought to Santa Fe the most important singers, conductors, directors and designers from this country and abroad. He continued and broadened the Company's long-standing commitment to the performance of new and rarely performed works. Mr. Gaddes greatly expanded the Company's outreach and presence throughout New Mexico, including a series of fall community productions. Another first for The Santa Fe Opera was the 2004 simulcast of La sonnambula to downtown Santa Fe, followed by the 2007 simulcast of La bohème in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Mr. Gaddes is a former Vice President of Opera America. He has served on panels of the National Endowment for the Arts and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. He is a frequent judge at national and international voice competitions, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Mr. Gaddes was honored by the Mayor of Santa Fe for his contribution to the arts, and by New Mexico Business Weekly as one of the 2005 "Top 10 Power People in the Arts." In September 2006, he accepted a Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in honor of the Company's 50th anniversary. He is one of four honorees by the National Endowment for the Arts' first ever Opera Honors award, joining soprano Leontyne Price, composer Carlisle Floyd, and conductor James Levine.