Ian Derrer to Step Down as General Director and CEO of The Dallas Opera

The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO Ian Derrer will not renew his contract when it concludes at the end of this fiscal year.

Instead, Derrer will take on a new position; it was announced today that he has been named the next General Director of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in Toronto.  He assumes his new role on July 1, the start of the COC’s 2026-2027 season.

“This is a bittersweet moment for The Dallas Opera,” said Board Chair Quincy Roberts. “While we are thrilled for Ian and his new adventure, we’re sorry to lose such a creative and collaborative leader. His tenure with the company has been marked by great successes, including the recent fundraising campaign which has strengthened our fiscal position. We are grateful for his dedication to advancing opera in North Texas, and we wish him well.”

Ian Derrer’s tenure at TDO—first as Artistic Administrator followed by eight years as its General Director and CEO—spans ten years. His time with TDO has been a study in steadiness: navigating the global pandemic; creating innovative ways to reach audiences around the world; raising $54.5 million in just six months and doubling its endowment, and commissioning and mounting multiple world premieres, the most recent of which garnered worldwide attention and rave reviews: Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

“I am truly proud of the work that we’ve accomplished here in Dallas, and I know that I leave this great company in a solid position for its future,” said Derrer. “I am so very fortunate to have been able to work with a board, staff, and community that deeply loves opera, especially our music director, Emmanuel Villaume. While I look forward to this new opportunity with COC, I offer my sincerest gratitude and admiration to everyone at TDO and to the generous arts community in North Texas.”

The Canadian Opera Company is Canada’s largest producer of opera, offering six full productions each season at its acclaimed home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. It also leads a distinguished professional development program for emerging Canadian opera artists, as well as numerous community engagement activities.