Pittsburgh Opera Announces Dr. Donald Fischer As New Board President

Pittsburgh Opera is proud to announce that Dr. Donald Fischer has been elected President of its Board of Directors.

Dr. Fischer has been a loyal member of Pittsburgh Opera's Board of Directors since 2012.

A retired pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Fischer is as an Independent Health Consultant who served as Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Highmark, Inc. for over a decade.

After earning his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a member of the Glee Club, Dr. Fischer received his medical degree from the University of Illinois. Upon completing a pediatric residency and pediatric cardiology fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, he joined the full-time faculty in the pediatric cardiology division at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. A former Medical Director at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Fischer also holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Fischer succeeds Mr. Gene Welsh, who had served as Board President since 2015. "The expiration of my term as Board President is bittersweet", says Welsh. "I am proud of what this tremendous organization has accomplished during my tenure. I am passing the baton to a dedicated leader who I know will help Pittsburgh Opera continue its forward momentum and string of successes."

"This is a tremendous honor for me," says Dr. Fischer. "It is a great privilege to become Board President of such a dynamic, passionate organization. As someone who's always loved to sing, Pittsburgh Opera represents the pinnacle of artistic excellence. I look forward to building on the work of my predecessors to help Pittsburgh Opera thrive and thrill the people of our region for generations to come."