James W. Wright, ICD.D

General Director

James W. Wright has 35 years of experience in opera management and has been General Director of Vancouver Opera since 1999. He is responsible for all programming, artistic and administrative functions of the company, including strategic and artistic planning, fund development, and government relations. Before joining Vancouver Opera, Mr. Wright held the top management positions with Opera Carolina (Charlotte, NC) and Anchorage Opera (Anchorage, AK).

During Mr. Wright’s tenure, Vancouver Opera has presented six company premieres, including 2010's highly lauded Canadian premiere of Nixon in China. Also in 2010, the company presented Lillian Alling, a new Canadian opera commissioned by VO. In the 2012-2013 season, Vancouver Opera will stage the Canadian premiere of Tan Dun's Tea: A Mirror of Soul.

In 2007 the company presented a West Coast First Nations-inspired version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, created after an unprecedented three-year collaboration with First Nations artists, artisans and educators. VO will remount the production during the 2012-2013 season.

The company has also commissioned two new operas for young people: Naomi’s Road, based on Joy Kogawa's novel, performed in schools across BC as well as in Alberta, Seattle and at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, and Jack Pine, composed by Veda Hille and based on the book by Christopher Patton.

During Wright’s tenure, the company has initiated highly successful series of “Community Forums”” and “Opera Speaks” programs, which demonstrate the relevancy of opera to contemporary British Columbians through seminars, panel discussions and other activities related to the company's productions. The programs take place in diverse venues throughout the Lower Mainland, including the Downtown Eastside and the Vancouver Public Library.

VO has also successfully introduced “Music! Words! Opera!,” a curriculum-based, classroom-centered program in 17 schools in five Lower Mainland school districts, in the Central Okanagan District and in Nanaimo. In addition, the company presents more than 100 in-school performances annually throughout British Columbia with its touring Vancouver Opera in Schools program.

In 2002, Mr. Wright named Jonathan Darlington Music Director and leader of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, one of only two opera company orchestras in Canada.

Wright serves on the board of directors of OPERA America, the international service organization for opera. He has previously served two terms (including Chair) on the board of Opera.ca, the voice of professional opera in Canada, and on the national board of Imagine Canada. He is a past member of The Vancouver Foundation’s Advisory Panel for Arts and Culture and a past member of the Vancouver City Planning Commission. He has also served as a panelist for the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts in the US. Mr. Wright is a 2008 graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors - Directors Education Program.