Andreas Mitisek
Andreas Mitisek was the Artistic and General Director of Long Beach Opera (2003-2020) and held the same position at Chicago Opera Theater (2012-2017). Mitisek is a conductor, stage director and designer and producer of over 150 productions. His site-specific productions in underground parking garages, swimming pools, night clubs, warehouses and the Port of Los Angeles have become a successful hallmark of his work. Mitisek became LBO's principal conductor in 1998 and Artistic and General Director in 2003. By exploring unorthodox venues, he has been able to attract new audiences for opera and uphold LBO’s artistic vision by presenting 20th-century and rare works. He expanded the repertoire and led a financial turnaround during his tenure at Chicago Opera Theater (COT), produced the company's first commissioned work, and expanded its performances beyond traditional theater spaces.
Mitisek served on the Board of Directors for Opera America, and was honored by the Chicago Tribune in 2014 as the Chicagoan of the Year in Classical Music. He has been named by Opera News as one of the 25 people that will be a major force in the field of opera in the coming decade. The Chicago Reader included him in the 2013 Top 50 Chicago People. Mitisek was named LA Tastemaker by LA Times Magazine in 2009, Arts Leader of the Year by the Long Beach Arts Council in 2009 and was highlighted as one of the “2012 People” by LA WEEKLY.
A native of Vienna, Austria, Mitisek served from 1990–1997 as Artistic and Music Director of the Wiener Operntheater, the foremost contemporary opera company in Austria. He has conducted at the Vienna Volksoper, the Komische Oper in Berlin, the festival "Wien Modern", the Wiener Konzerthaus and Wiener Musikverein. His work as guest conductor has taken him to companies in Italy, Spain, Tokyo and South America. He is also sought after as a guest conductor and stage director in North America, leading productions for the New York City Opera, Seattle Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Vancouver Opera, Portland Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among others.
