Baltimore Concert Opera Names Julia Cooke Executive Director

BALTIMORE, MD, September 07, 2012 (Press-News.org) Julia Cooke will assume the role of Executive Director for Baltimore Concert Opera (BCO) beginning September 1, 2012. As a co-founder of Baltimore Concert Opera Ms. Cooke has been intricately involved in BCO's operations since its founding, serving as a member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Cooke transitions to the role of Executive Director subsequent to the departure of General Director Brendan Cooke who accepted a position as the General Director of OperaDelaware.

On the heels of matching and exceeding an anonymous $20,000 donation for use in a match campaign, Baltimore Concert Opera announced its fourth season as artists in residence at the historic Garrett-Jacobs Mansion. With Julia Cooke at the helm, BCO Board President, Ben Schuman, sees another strong season of growth ahead. "Julia is the obvious choice to take charge of the company," said Schuman. "Julia is well known to the company's patron and donor base and given the tremendous role she's played in the company thus far, her appointment assures a seamless transition and continued stability for the company."

On stage, Ms. Cooke has performed leading roles in Faust, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Falstaff, Dialogues of the Carmelites, Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and Verdi's rarely performed Il Corsaro. Companies include Baltimore Opera, Baltimore Concert Opera, Sarasota Opera, and L'Opera Piccola. In concert, Ms. Cooke made her Avery Fisher Hall debut in 2009 as the soprano soloist in Carmina Burana. Other highlights include appearances with Anchorage Symphony, Maryland Symphony, York Symphony, and Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra. A specialist in French Art Song, Ms. Cooke has appeared in recital in Nice, France and in New York City as part of acclaimed pianist Dalton Baldwin's recital series.

Honors include being a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards, regional winner of the MacAllister Awards, as well as the recipient of multiple grants from the Sarasota Opera. Ms. Cooke holds a Master of Music in Voice from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Psychology from the University of Rochester. In addition to her position of Executive Director at Baltimore Concert Opera, she is on adjunct voice faculty at Towson University and Morgan State University.

"I am honored to accept the position of Executive Director at Baltimore Concert Opera. It gives me great pride to be part of a young organization whose fiscal responsibility has led to such a strong position in our community," stated Ms. Cooke. "This year we have an exciting season, and I look forward to continuing to grow our artistic vision, as we work to reach an even larger and more diverse audience."

BCO opens its fourth season this fall with Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, Puccini's Tosca, Verdi's Macbeth, and Bizet's Carmen. Performances are held at The Engineers Club where they are artists in residence. For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit http://www.baltimoreconcertopera.com. BCO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Contact:
Suzanne Balaes-Blair, General Manager
Baltimore Concert Opera
11 W. Mount Vernon Place
Baltimore, MD 21201
Suzanne@baltimoreconcertopera.com
http://www.baltimoreconcertopera.com
443.445.0226

Baltimore Concert Opera is a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to building upon the traditions of
opera and extending these to new audiences through excellence in the performance of operatic music, collaboration, community engagement and education. By presenting opera in a format that highlights the human voice and removing the artifice that separates the audience from the performers, BCO creates an intimate and affordable experience that captures the core essence of opera.