Vivo Performing Arts (formerly Celebrity Series of Boston), has announced the appointment of Thor Steingraber as its next President and Chief Executive Officer.

Steingraber is currently Executive and Artistic Director of Los Angeles’ Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya), will assume the new role in June 2026, succeeding Gary Dunning’s distinguished 15-year tenure.

Following a comprehensive selection process led by a Search Committee and Arts Consulting Group (ACG), Steingraber becomes the fifth leader in the organization’s 88-year history. In the role Steingraber will oversee organizational innovation, artistic vision, community engagement, and stakeholder collaboration. He is tasked with furthering the company’s mission of delivering exceptional experiences in the performing arts to ensure they remain a valued, lifelong, and shared experience through authentic connections with artists, audiences, and communities across Greater Boston.

Steingraber worked previously as Vice President of The Music Center in Los Angeles, overseeing the development of Grand Park, a 16-acre multi-use public space that transformed L.A.’s civic center into a year-round destination for programming. Before his executive career, Steingraber established himself as an opera director, first in residence at the opera companies in Chicago and Los Angeles and then creating productions for international companies in Hong Kong, Barcelona, and the United States including New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. He has also shared his expertise in the classroom, teaching at the Yale School of Music, the Curtis Institute, and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

In a press release, Joshua Boger, Chair of the Board of Directors said, “Thor’s rare combination of artistic vision and executive experience makes him the ideal leader to guide Vivo Performing Arts into its next era. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated the ability to honor the traditions of the performing arts while reimagining the possibilities of community engagement and public activation. Thor’s proven track record will be instrumental in expanding our impact and ensuring that the performing arts remain an accessible and transformative force for Greater Boston.”

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