Knoxville Opera.
Reimagining a 47-year-old opera company for a new generation, and proof that the right story, and the right team, moves real numbers.
These results belong to a team I was lucky to work with. Marketing made the promise. The artistic team kept it. The growth came from both. I led brand, marketing, and, from FY24, development, alongside Knoxville Opera’s staff, board, Rossini Festival volunteers, and the audiences who showed up.
A beloved institution with deep roots, and an audience that wasn’t growing. The work was excellent. The problem was that not enough new people knew why it mattered.
Opera carries a reputation for being formal, expensive, and for someone else. To reach a new generation, Knoxville Opera needed more than better ads. It needed a brand and a story confident enough to make the art feel like an invitation.
Together with the KO team, a bold rebrand and sharper storytelling doubled first-time attendance and grew revenue per show 27%, and La Bohème became the best-selling production in company history.
Tenure-wide results across four seasons, achieved with the Knoxville Opera team. Not the work of any single production.
Sources: Knoxville Opera Salesforce donations report; KO ticket reports; KO audited financial statements FY15–FY25. Pre-tenure Rossini average excludes FY20–FY21 (festival cancelled, COVID). Figures as of May 2026.
Twenty minutes, on a call: a season, a story, or whatever you’re making. Not a sales pitch, and not for everyone, but if that sounds like you, let’s talk.