Opera Naples has announced the appointment of Melanie Kalnins as Executive Director, Development and Communications, effective August 15, 2024.

Over the past years, Kalnins provided marketing and publicity consulting services for the company including the 2023-24 season. Per the company, Kalnins helped make the fourth annual Festival Under the Stars the “most successful to date.”

In her new role with Opera Naples, she will be chiefly responsible for all contributed and earned revenues and will report directly into the Board of Directors.

In a statement, Kalnins said, “I am so delighted to be joining the Opera Naples team. I was really impressed by the artistic excellence and programmatic variety of this past season’s Opera Naples Festival Under the Stars and feel honored to be a key player in the magnificent cultural fabric of the Naples community. I am excited to have recently consulted with Nicoletta Pavarotti at her home in Italy as our maestro, Ramón Tebar, continues to plan ongoing collaborations with the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation. I also greatly value the incredibly warm reception I have enjoyed from the Opera Naples staff, board and supporters. I feel I have found a wonderful group of people who are sincerely passionate about the opera art form, and I look forward to welcoming many more patrons into the great Opera Naples family.”