Long Beach Opera has announced that Jennifer Rivera will be its Executive Director and CEO.

Rivera, who performed around the world as a mezzo-soprano for several decades, was a former winner of the Debut Artist of the Year by the New York City Opera. She also obtained two Grammy nominations and even won the Helpmann Award.

She was also an active arts blogger, who was published in the Huffington Post Arts and Culture Section.

Then she joined the Long Beach Opera and served as the company’s Director of Development and Major Gifts Officer since 2017. During her time with the company, she raised over $100,000 in successful grant applications and created and implemented a $1.5 million three-year campaign that managed one-third of its goals in just six months.

“I am honored to shepherd Long Beach Opera into the next era of growth and to find new avenues for innovation and artistic excellence in partnership with [Artistic Director] Andreas [Mitisek],” she stated in a press release. “I have found the most amazing and delightful home in Long Beach, and am eager to continue to contribute to the vibrant, growing arts scene in Long Beach and throughout Southern California.”