Florida Grand Opera General Director and CEO Bob Heuer has worked for the last three decades transforming the organization into one of South Florida’s most prominent performing arts groups and is determined to keep it that way.
He’ll celebrate his 25th year as general director, he joined the opera in 1979 as production director, at a fête in the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts later this month.
And while opera next year will celebrate its 70th anniversary, Mr. Heuer said he’s thinking of how the opera can celebrate its 75th anniversary in style and how to ensure the opera remains strong once he steps down.
“I think my goal for the company and for my work here is to continue what we’ve accomplished already,” he said. “I think it’s going to be important as we get to the 75th anniversary of the company, obviously next year is our 70th, that there probably should be another commission of a new opera.”
Although the opera was founded in 1941 under then General Director Arturo di Filippi, Mr. Heuer is only its third director and is responsible for turning it into the organization it is today.
In 1994, he oversaw the merging of the then Greater Miami Opera Association with the Opera Guild Inc of Fort Lauderdale to form the Florida Grand Opera.
Mr. Heuer discussed the company’s strengths, future and how it dealt with economic tumult of 2008 at its Doral headquarters with Miami Today Staff Writer Zachary S. Fagenson.