Annie Burridge, seen from the shoulders up, looking slightly toward the right and smiling

General Director and CEO, Austin Opera

Andrew Recinos, seen from the torso up, seated in front of a bookcase.

President, Tessitura Network

Innovators in Conversation: Annie Burridge

5/6/2020

54 mins

“It is so important and so precious to be able to make art right now in this time,

especially art that makes sense,” said Annie Burridge, General Director and CEO of Austin Opera, in this conversation with Tessitura president Andrew Recinos.

As opera companies began closing their doors due to COVID-19, Austin Opera was one of the first opera companies to launch a digital programming series with brand-new content. Live from Indy Terrace began offering 30-minute broadcasts featuring Austin Opera artists every Friday at 3pm Central.

Additionally, thanks to partners from Austin-based Subvrsive, who sit on the Austin Opera Innovation Council, the company was able to transform their production of Winterreise (originally scheduled for March) to a film project, to be filmed and digitally disseminated to a global audience this summer.

“I know we’ll come out of this on the other end, hopefully stronger, definitely smarter.”

Watch the video above to enjoy this conversation between Annie Burridge, General Director and CEO of Austin Opera, and Tessitura Network president Andrew Recinos.

 

More about Innovators in Conversation >

 

Annie Burridge, seen from the shoulders up, looking slightly toward the right and smiling

Annie Burridge

General Director and CEO
Austin Opera

Annie Burridge was named General Director & CEO of Austin Opera in October 2016 following a nine-year tenure at Opera Philadelphia, where she most recently served as Managing Director.

Since joining Austin Opera she led the development of a new strategic plan; launched a new artistic initiative – Opera ATX – bringing groundbreaking artists to unexpected and unique venues throughout Austin; secured three national innovation grants totaling $600,000; established numerous community partnerships including the first formalized partnership with the Butler School of Music; and increased the company’s endowment funds by 100%.

At Opera Philadelphia Annie was responsible for the implementation of the company’s business plan and leadership of the development, marketing, and communications departments. She led the company’s rebranding campaign and the most comprehensive consumer study ever conducted in the opera field, resulting in the company’s new programming model and the creation of the O17 festival. During her tenure as Opera Philadelphia’s chief development officer, contributed income increased 183%. 

Annie holds a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Administration from the University of Pennsylvania; a M.M. in Voice Performance and a M.M. in Opera Studies from the New England Conservatory; and graduated the valedictorian of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University, where she earned a B.M. in Voice Performance with a Minor in Business Administration. Annie is Vice-Chair of the OPERA America Board of Trustees and an alumna of Wharton’s Women’s Executive Leadership program and OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive program. In 2017 she was selected as an Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Fellow at the Aspen Institute and was named a “2017 Mover and Shaper” by Musical America. In 2018 she won the Penn State University College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Award.

Andrew Recinos, seen from the torso up, seated in front of a bookcase.

Andrew Recinos

President
Tessitura Network

Andrew Recinos is President of the Tessitura Network.

He is responsible for oversight of Tessitura's North American operations, including Consulting, Application Support, Managed Services, Community, Conference, and Learning Resources divisions. Working closely with CEO Jack Rubin, Andrew is a key strategic leader for the company. Taking an active role in connecting with Tessitura's member organizations, Andrew visits with scores of cultural professionals around the globe each year, sharing news about the company and learning the many unique stories of our community. Andrew's presentations draw insights from the multifaceted organizations in the world of Tessitura. 

Prior to joining Tessitura, Andrew was a Managing Director at Jacobson Consulting Applications (JCA) where he oversaw their Products division.  Andrew served as a product lead for the development of T-Stats, Tessitura Dashboards and the Revenue Management Application (RMA), as well as serving as Tessitura implementation lead for more than 30 Tessitura implementations. In 2009, Andrew became the Product Manager for the Tessitura Next Generation Project and served on the Board Steering Committee for the project to re-envision Tessitura. Prior to JCA, Andrew worked in fundraising, membership and technology at a variety of non-profits, most notably Carnegie Hall in New York City, where he worked for eight years. Among his roles was Director, Friends of Carnegie Hall, where he oversaw all aspects of this 15,000 member program.

He holds a master’s degree in Arts Administration from the O’Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs at Indiana University and currently serves on the O’Neill School Distinguished Alumni Council. Andrew also serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Cultural Affairs and is a Board Member of ArtsFund. Andrew lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and child.

Topics

Arts & Culture

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Business Strategy

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COVID-19

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Digital

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Innovator Series