Kevin Smith was appointed president of The Minnesota Opera in 1986, having previously served as general manager, company administrator and production stage manager for the company since joining the staff in 1981.

In his current position, as The Minnesota Opera’s chief executive officer, Mr. Smith is responsible for all company affairs—artistic, financial and managerial.

Since Mr. Smith became the company’s leader, The Minnesota Opera’s budget and audiences have more than doubled.

Mr. Smith is president of the OPERA America board (the service organization for opera companies in North, South and Central America) and chairs the OPERA America Executive Committee. He sits on the board of the American Arts Alliance, and he has served as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts’ opera/musical theater advisory panel and the overview panel of the NEA’s opera/musical theater program. He also is treasurer and a member of the board of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, an arts advocacy organization for the state of Minnesota.

Mr. Smith received a B.A. in piano performance from the University

of California at Santa Barbara in 1973 and did graduate work in conducting and stage direction at Santa Barbara and the University

of Southern California.

Prior to coming to Minnesota, Mr. Smith was based in New York as a freelance production/stage manager and assistant director, working with numerous regional opera companies including Virginia Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of Rochester and San Francisco Spring Opera.

Originally from Los Angeles, Mr. Smith lives in St. Paul with his wife, Lynn, and their two daughters.