+ Chief Philanthropy Officer

Cincinnati Opera is seeking a Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO) to lead its fundraising activities. The CPO is responsible for the planning and execution of a comprehensive program to achieve the company’s annual and long-term contributed-revenue goals. The CPO is a member of the executive team and reports to the General Director & CEO (CEO). The ideal candidate will have an excellent track record in fundraising management and will be an enthusiastic supporter of the performing arts, an excellent communicator, and a relationship builder.

**Roles and Responsibilities **

• Provide vision and strategic leadership for all fundraising. This includes the annual fund, planned giving, special events, and major gift campaigns.
• Lead the process for developing the company’s annual cultivation and solicitation strategy, enabling sustainable growth in individual, foundation, corporate, and government sources.
• Work closely with the CEO and CFO to set annual fundraising goals as part of the annual season-planning process.
• Motivate and lead a five-person department, encouraging team members to achieve targets, grow skills, and increase effectiveness.
• Serve as a staff liaison to the board’s Executive Committee, reporting on fundraising strategies and progress and helping to maximize the board’s role in fundraising.
• Serve as a staff liaison to the board’s Nominating Committee, assisting in identifying potential new board members.
• Oversee the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of all major gifts and personally manage a select portfolio of major donors.
• Provide strategic leadership on grantmaking opportunities with foundations and government entities.
• Provide strategic leadership on special event fundraising.
• Assure excellence and effectiveness in all patron communications and activities, working with the CEO, Director of Communications, Director of Marketing, Artistic Director, and Director of Production as appropriate.
• Provide strategic leadership on record-keeping, documentation, and the management of patron data.
• Working with the CFO, provide regular reporting on fundraising activities and progress to the executive team.
• Optimize opportunities to expand the impact of fundraising through traditional and emerging channels and techniques.
• Advocate for philanthropic support of Cincinnati Opera within the staff and board, providing information, insights, and inspiration.
• Other duties as assigned.

**Minimum Qualifications **

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
• Seven-plus years of fundraising experience, including significant experience managing a team
• Excellent verbal, written, and listening skills
• Ability to work independently and exhibit a high degree of self-motivation
• Ability to manage multiple competing objectives and tasks
• An exceptional degree of professional integrity
• Willingness to embrace the vision/mission and strategic direction of the organization
• Adaptable, optimistic, collaborative, inclusive, respectful, and results-driven
• Ability to work some evenings and weekends, especially during the company’s summer season

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of opera and/or the arts funding landscape of the Greater Cincinnati area
• Five or more years of professional experience with a performing arts organization
• Five or more years of experience in leading and managing a development team
• Familiarity with Tessitura, the ticketing and patron-database application

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, and use hands. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee may need to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• The employee must be able to work evenings, weekends, and travel locally.
• The position requires work in an office setting.
• The role requires on-site presence, though some remote work may be arranged during off-peak periods.

Compensation

This is a full-time exempt position with a salary range of $125,000-150,000 commensurate with experience. Cincinnati Opera offers an extensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, long-term disability, parking, and 403(b) with a portion matched by the company.

Note from General Director & CEO

Greetings from Cincinnati Opera! I thought it would be helpful to share a bit more context about this remarkable career opportunity. The Chief Philanthropy Officer opening comes at an extraordinary moment in the life of Cincinnati Opera. Over the past two years, we have been at work on Vision 2030, a long-term plan for sustainability, artistic innovation, and audience expansion. Also, we will soon announce a major commitment to the creation of new operas aimed at expanding the diversity of the art form’s canon; these new works are set to premiere in 2025, 2026, and 2027. Finally, we have begun a partnership with a top-tier consultancy toward a multi-year capital campaign.

With all this in mind, we are seeking a brilliant and capable leader who will embrace the legacy and potential of Cincinnati Opera and its people and who will champion the development of a world-class fundraising team. This person will join an equally brilliant and encouraging team of colleagues, including Artistic Director Evans Mirageas, and will enjoy engaging with our enthusiastic and supportive board.

I know I speak for the entire company when I say we are looking forward to finding the right person for this position as quickly as possible. You will be proud to be part of our upcoming summer season at historic Music Hall, which will feature the world stage premiere of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. I look forward to being in conversation with you.

–Christopher Milligan, The Harry Fath General Director & CEO

About Cincinnati Opera

Founded in 1920, Cincinnati Opera is one of the oldest and most highly regarded opera companies in the United States. Known for its longstanding partnership with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, a roster of world-class singers, and its spectacular performance venue, Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati Opera has received numerous accolades and awards, including a recent nomination for the prestigious International Opera Award. Cincinnati Opera offers a primary season of performances from June through August (paid attendance 17,000-20,000), plus a host of events through the year, including educational programming, small-scale public performances, recitals, and fundraisers. The organization receives about $4.5 million in contributed annual support from individual donors, foundations, and government entities.

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter and résumé to hr@cincinnatiopera.org with subject title: “Chief Philanthropy Officer Application” or mail to Attn: Human Resources, Cincinnati Opera, 1243 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

Cincinnati Opera is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where a variety of backgrounds, cultures, orientations, ideas, and talents can flourish.

+ Advisor for Diversity & Inclusion (part-time, contractor)

Cincinnati Opera is seeking a skilled professional with excellent interpersonal and communication abilities, along with a proven track record in DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility). The Advisor for Diversity & Inclusion interfaces with the CEO, senior management, and board leadership in advancing the organization's strategic initiatives.

**Roles and Responsibilities **

• Serve as a resource for the latest best practices, trends, and research associated with advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.
• Provide strategic advice on DEIA considerations as an integral part of the organization’s planning processes.
• Identify and implement comprehensive training programs aimed at educating staff, visiting artists, and the board on matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Act as the primary liaison with the Board’s DEIA Committee, ensuring seamless communication and alignment of initiatives.
• Attend weekly Planning Team meetings.
• Collaborate with HR to formulate inclusive recruitment and hiring practices, offering guidance on attracting a diverse pool of candidates for open roles.
• Foster cultural competence among both staff and the board, contributing to the establishment of a workplace culture that is both respectful and inclusive.
• Play a key role in programming discussions, providing insights to identify opportunities that align with DEIA goals.
• Cultivate relationships with DEIA professionals in the arts, non-profit, and corporate sectors, facilitating collaboration and information exchange.
• Establish, monitor, and report on metrics related to diversity and inclusion, offering a clear overview of the organization’s progress.
• Establish, monitor, and report on metrics related to supplier diversity.
• Provide data related to diversity and accessibility in response to grant requests.
• Advocate for and ensure accessibility in all aspects of the company's operations, from physical spaces to digital platforms.
• Additional duties as assigned.

**Minimum Qualifications **

• Prior experience as a consultant or advisor
• Experience working with nonprofit organizations
• Experience working with senior management teams
• 5+ years in DEIA, corporate compliance, supplier diversity, or human resources
• Ability to work with diverse group of professionals

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional experience working with an arts or cultural organization

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, and use hands. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, far vision and the ability to adjust focus. The employee may need to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• The position requires comportment satisfactory to working in an office setting.

Compensation

This is a one-year contract position, averaging 40 hours per month, with a fee of $1,800 to $2,000 per month. As this is a contract role, the position does not offer benefits.

About Cincinnati Opera

Founded in 1920, Cincinnati Opera is one of the oldest and most highly regarded opera companies in the United States. Known for its longstanding partnership with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, a roster of world-class singers, and its spectacular performance venue, Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati Opera has received numerous accolades and awards, including a recent nomination for the prestigious International Opera Award. Cincinnati Opera offers a primary season of performances from June through August (paid attendance 17,000-20,000), plus a host of events through the year, including educational programming, small-scale public performances, recitals, and fundraisers.

How to apply

To apply, submit cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references to hr@cincinnatiopera.org or Human Resources, Cincinnati Opera, 1243 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

Cincinnati Opera is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where a variety of backgrounds, cultures, orientations, ideas, and talents can flourish.

+ Supernumeraries

For anyone who’s dreamed of appearing on the Cincinnati Music Hall stage, Cincinnati Opera is ready to give you your moment in the spotlight. No singing or acting skills are required!

Cincinnati Opera will hold an open casting call for supernumerary roles for the company’s 2024 Summer Festival. Two information and casting sessions are scheduled for Saturday, March 23, 2024, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., and Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m., at the Corbett Opera Center at Music Hall (1243 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202).

Supernumerary—or “super”—roles are non-singing, non-speaking roles, much like extras in film and television. Supers will share the stage with internationally renowned artists and work with celebrated directors and conductors. No experience is necessary and all super positions are filled on a voluntary basis. Individuals of all ages, races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities are welcome and encouraged to apply.

Cincinnati Opera seeks applicants for the following roles:

Don Giovanni
Commitment period: May 20–June 15, 2024
Performances: June 13 and 15, 2024
Supers needed:

• Two male-identifying individuals to play footmen, a café owner, a café waiter, and cemetery workmen; must be able to lift up to 40 lbs
• Two female-identifying individuals to play chambermaids, a housekeeper, and hotel maids; must be able to lift up to 30 lbs
• All participants must feel comfortable playing characters from a servant class.

La Traviata
Commitment period: June 4–30, 2024
Performances: June 27, 28, 30, 2024
Supers needed:

• Five male-identifying individuals to play Baron’s attendants, bartenders, bar staff, friends of Alfredo and Gastone, and a bare-chested bouncer/doorman

Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio
Commitment period: June 20–July 27, 2024
Performances: July 18, 20, 21, 27, 2024
Supers needed:

• Two to three children to play an orphan boy and evacuees
• Five female-identifying individuals to play mothers, grandmothers, nurses, and midwives
• Four male-identifying individuals to play fire officers, soldiers, and a trumpet player

Cincinnati Opera’s productions of Don Giovanni, La Traviata, and Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio will be presented in Springer Auditorium at Cincinnati Music Hall. Supers are required to attend approximately 10–15 rehearsals. Daytime rehearsals may be scheduled.

Attending the casting call does not obligate a person to participate. Interested individuals may attend the casting call simply to learn more about supernumerary opportunities. For more information, please visit cincinnatiopera.org or email supers@cincinnatiopera.org.

+ Opera Guild Ambassadors

The Cincinnati Opera Guild is a membership-based group of enthusiastic ambassadors for Cincinnati Opera that seeks to promote a deeper understanding of opera throughout the Greater Cincinnati community. For 60 years, the Guild has played an active role in supporting Cincinnati Opera's mainstage, community outreach, and education programs by serving as volunteers and ambassadors at events throughout the community. Click here to learn more about the Cincinnati Opera Guild, fill out a volunteer profile, and become a Guild Ambassador.

+ Music Hall Ushering

Ushers make it possible for patrons to have a truly enjoyable Music Hall experience by providing a smile, a friendly greeting, accurate directions, or an extra service. Usher candidates are reviewed by Cincinnati Arts Association. Click here to learn more about how to become a Music Hall usher.