Oliver Ionita Named New Director of Development of Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) announces the appointment of Oliver Ionita (41) as the company's new Director of Development following a national search conducted by Arts Consulting Group. Ionita officially assumed his new role on September 4, 2014 just a few days following the close of the company's third consecutive fiscal year without a deficit and coinciding with the opening of its highly innovative and groundbreaking production of Ernest Bloch's "Macbeth," which marked the end of COT's 2014 Season.

As General Director Andreas Mitisek's uniquely innovative vision for opera in Chicago continues to attract new and adventurous audiences, Ionita will play an imperative role within the company as leader of its development office. COT's 41st season premieres February 20, 2015 with Tobias Picker's "Thérèse Raquin" followed by Ricky Ian Gordon's "A Coffin in Egypt" on April 25, 2015 and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Lucio Silla" on September 26, 2015 all staged at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance (205 E. Randolph Street).

"I am exceptionally gratified that Oliver has joined Chicago Opera Theater at such an exciting time of opportunity and growth," says General Director Andreas Mitisek. "Oliver's remarkable experience in performing arts fundraising and his infectious passion for the arts are sure to prove an incredible asset in the years ahead."

"I am thrilled to join Chicago Opera Theater during this pivotal time in its history," said Ionita. "The breadth of COT's repertoire and its unrelenting artistic quality has cemented its place among Chicago's and the nation's most ambitious and adventurous cultural institutions. I look forward to working closely with the board and staff to help steward our success well into the future."

Ionita's development career in the arts spans more than two decades and features significant tenures at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic and Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music, where he was Director of Development from 2005 to 2012 before being elevated to Senior Director for Development and External Affairs. Ionita has a wealth of experience in all areas of fundraising, particularly in major gifts, and has spent nearly a decade building relationships within Chicago's philanthropic community. Ionita holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Performance from The Juilliard School and a Masters in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. Ionita and his wife and son live in Chicago.