David Lomelí will take the helm at The Dallas Opera on June 1 as the company’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO. The appointment marks a homecoming for Lomelí, who spent more than a decade in senior artistic roles with the company before heading to Munich and the Santa Fe Opera. He will overlap for a month with outgoing General Director Ian Derrer, whose last day in Dallas is June 30.
Board picks a familiar candidate
The company describes the hire as the outcome of a focused, internationally scoped search led by an eight-member committee in partnership with Arts Consulting Group. "David Lomelí is the rare leader who understands that great opera companies must honor tradition while fearlessly building for the future," Board Chair Quincy Roberts said, according to The Dallas Opera. The press release notes that after interviews with domestic and international candidates, Lomelí is set to begin on June 1.
A global resume
Lomelí steps into the top job after five years at the Santa Fe Opera and a stint in Munich with the Bavarian State Opera. He previously served as The Dallas Opera’s director of artistic administration beginning in 2018, The Dallas Morning News reports. Local coverage also notes he was the first Latino to hold a top artistic post at one of the country’s largest-budget opera houses when he took that Dallas role in 2018.
Programs and digital reach
Lomelí is the founding force behind the Linda and Mitch Hart Institute for Women Conductors, a program that earned The Dallas Opera the International Opera Awards’ Equal Opportunities & Impact prize in 2025, per the International Opera Awards. He also helped launch the TDO Network during the pandemic, and local reporting credited that digital programming with generating more than 300 million views across The Dallas Opera’s social channels. NBC DFW documented the organization’s pandemic-era reach.
Financial footing and experience
The company heads into Lomelí’s tenure on a stronger financial footing after a $25 million challenge grant from the O’Donnell Foundation helped push gifts and pledges to $54.5 million, The Dallas Morning News reports. The board also highlighted Lomelí’s track record managing seven- and eight-figure artistic budgets and developing international co-productions as part of his qualifications, according to The Dallas Opera.
Transition timeline
Ian Derrer, who has led the company since 2018, will finish his Dallas tenure at the end of June before assuming the General Director post at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, local coverage noted earlier this year. KERA and other outlets reported on Derrer’s move to Toronto and the July start date at the COC.
What comes next
Lomelí says his immediate focus will be on listening to staff, artists and donors while building on the company’s recent momentum. "I look forward to listening, learning, and building together," he said, per local coverage, and the company will begin that work officially when he arrives June 1. NBC DFW has more on Lomelí’s statements about innovation and community.
