LA Opera has announced the passing of Bernard A. Greenberg, Founding Board Member, former Chairman, and one of the principal architects of the company.

A visionary civic leader, philanthropist and arts advocate, Greenberg devoted more than seven decades to the dream of establishing and sustaining a world-class opera company in Los Angeles.

Before the LA Opera was inaugurated in 1986, Greenberg was among the small group of civic leaders working to bring professional opera to Los Angeles. As a student at UCLA, he envisioned an opera company for the city and went on to help establish the Los Angeles Civic Grand Opera and served first as treasurer before guiding the organization through its successive evolutions and ultimately helping lay the foundation for the LA Opera.

Greenberg served on LA Opera’s Board of Directors for four decades, holding nearly every major leadership position, including Chairman, Chairman of the Executive Committee, President, Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman. Most recently, he held the title of Vice Chairman Emeritus and Founding Board Member.

Through the Bernard A. and Lenore S. Greenberg Opera Fund, they created an enduring endowment to support ambitious artistic work, while their underwriting many productions such as “Billy Budd,” Madama Butterfly,” “Tannhäuser,” “Götterdämmerung,” “Einstein on the Beach,” “Akhnaten,” “Satyagraha,” “Eurydice,” “Omar,” “El último sueño de Frida y Diego” and “Ainadamar.

In a statement said Keith R. Leonard, Jr., Chairman of LA Opera’s Board of Directors said, “If anyone could be called the founder of LA Opera, it is Bernie Greenberg. For more than 70 years, he devoted his extraordinary wisdom, leadership and generosity to building this company into the institution that serves our audiences today. Bernie believed deeply that opera could enrich lives and strengthen our community, and he worked tirelessly to make that vision a reality. His legacy is woven into every chapter of our history, and all of us at LA Opera are profoundly grateful for his friendship, his guidance and his unwavering commitment to this company.”

Outside of his work for the LA Opera, he helped the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Music Center, the Ojai Music Festival, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Los Angeles Public Library.

He was also a distinguished attorney, trusted advisor and passionate music lover.