Palm Beach Opera General Director Daniel Biaggi is stepping down

Daniel Biaggi, who steered Palm Beach Opera’s turnaround during his 10 years as general director, will step down in October to pursue being an independent consultant in the industry, the company announced today.

“It’s exciting to me,” Biaggi said. “It’s the next step in the big-picture thinking I’ve always enjoyed.”

Managing Director David Walker, 53 and a Singer Island resident, will succeed him on Oct. 15. Biaggi will continue as a strategic and artistic adviser, working on projects as needed.

Walker arrived at Palm Beach Opera in August 2015 as director of institutional advancement, overseeing all aspects of revenue generation.

In a way, he was a general director in the making.

“When we interviewed him four years ago, part of what we were looking for was someone who had the interest and potential to be general director,” board chairman Dennis Williams said.

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In 2016, Walker was promoted to managing director, working alongside Biaggi on strategic initiatives while continuing to oversee fund raising, marketing, education and community engagement.

Walker said he’s looking forward to assuming leadership of a company that’s poised for a leap forward.

“This board, Daniel and the entire staff has worked so hard to get the company in an excellent position,” he said. “It’s been exciting for me to be a part of it.”

Walker transitioned into arts administration in 2010 after an 18-year career as an international operatic counter tenor. He worked in development and marketing with several opera companies before joining Palm Beach Opera.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and master’s degrees in vocal performance, arts administration and business administration.

“He has tremendous experience and background and he’s done a great job for Palm Beach Opera,” Williams said.

He pointed to Walker’s success in creating the Co-Producer Society to underwrite mainstage productions and in more extensive use of social media and data mining.

Subscription sales have grown by 50 percent over the past four seasons. Contributions through the Co-Producer Society have increased from $1.7 million when it was created in 2016-17 to $2.53 million in 2018-19.

“He’s incredibly well-versed in all aspects of production,” Biaggi said. “He also has the people skills and knowledge of the community. He’s a wonderful excitement-builder.”

Biaggi had no experience in opera administration when he joined the company in October 2005 as director of artistic operations. His background included training as an operatic baritone and working as associate director of Guy Barzilay International Artist Management in New York.

When Palm Beach Opera promoted him to general director in February 2009, the company was struggling. It was posting unsupportable deficits and the chief administrator job was a revolving door.

Under Biaggi’s leadership, the company stabilized and grew. It slashed the budget, reducing the number of operas it produced at the Kravis Center from four to three and eliminating Monday matinees, and re-directed resources to  programming designed to broaden its audience.

The board was diversified and re-structured, a strategic plan crafted and new fund raising initiatives were put in place. Operations were streamlined and costs cut when its production center and rehearsal hall opened in 2013 in West Palm Beach.

The young artist training program was expanded and enhanced, which enabled the opera to grow its outreach programs. The number of adults and young people served by its education and community engagement programs has increased from fewer than 3,700 in 2013-14 to more than 19,000 in 2018-19.

Today the company is fiscally healthy. Its annual operating budget is projected to grow from $5.7 million in 2018-19 to $6.4 million in 2019-20. It has posted surpluses for the past three seasons.

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jsjostrom@pbdailynews.com