Portland Opera has announced that Priti Gandhi will be its new artistic director.

Gandhi will work alongside general director Sue Dixon as well as artistic advisors Karen Slack and Damien Geter to develop the company’s artistic and repertory planning and casting. She will also engage in the development of the Portland Opera Resident Artist Program and direct the artistic program.

“I am looking forward to the journey with Portland Opera!“ Gandhi said in a press release. “It is clear to me that the company is committed to charting a course for meaningful change in our field, while honoring the very best of our art form. Portland Opera has a history of great artistic vision—presenting grand, traditional works—as well as those that push the boundaries of tradition. My first priority will be to listen: to the staff and board, to our artists and community, to our patrons and stakeholders—in order to gain insight and further develop our work from a foundation of inclusion, respect, and joy.”

Gandhi will join Portland Opera from the Minnesota Opera where she was the chief artistic officer since 2018. She also led a performance career that saw her perform alongside such organizations as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, Theatre du Chatelet, the Royal Opera House, Prague Estates Theatre, New York City Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Opera, among others.