Palm Beach Opera Announces James Barbato as New General Director

Palm Beach Opera has appointed James Barbato as the new general director after he previously served five years as the organization’s director for artistic administration.

 As general director, Barbato will continue to promote the three-part mission of Palm Beach Opera: bring world-class, quality opera to South Florida, properly train generations of stars to excel in the opera industry, and use educational programs in local schools and community partnerships to inspire people of all ages.

“I am honored to carry on the legacy of this company that has incredible history and an impact on this community, and to do so at a time when Palm Beach is growing and thriving,” Barbato says. “There are opportunities in the arts here for everyone and I immediately fell in love with this community and all of our accomplishments on the main stage.”

Barbato’s experience includes a degree in economics from the University of Rochester and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music and voice performance from the Eastman School of Music prior to joining Palm Beach Opera in 2015.

During his time as director of artistic administration, Barbato was responsible for the production of main stage shows and training the artists. Barbato will now have additional tasks at hand which include overseeing the revenue, planning fundraisers, managing the marketing team, and ticket sales to continue the success of Palm Beach Opera.

“Palm Beach Opera has great respect in the industry and in this regard, I want to continue to excite and inspire audiences with the quality of our shows and really make sure we are spreading the word to new people entering the community,” Barbato says.

Much of Palm Beach Opera’s generational success can be credited to the three tier training program used by the organization. The young artist program is meant for opera singers who are looking to emerge as professional artists; the Bailey apprentice program offers intensive training for recent musical school graduates to gain experience; and the studio program is for high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in performing arts.

Each year, Palm Beach Opera receives over 1,000 applicants for the top two tiers, who compete for just 14 spots.

In the past four years, Palm Beach Opera has had three of its own named as winners of the Metropolitan Opera Competition, the largest competition in the United States, as well as three Operalia competition winners.

“There is a great pipeline of singers being trained at Palm Beach Opera and we have made a big difference in their lives and we are making a big difference by putting excellent singers on worldwide stages,” Barbato says.

Barbato also wants to bring awareness to donors and organizational partnerships within the Palm Beach Community. Recently, the partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Beach County has been extremely moving for the organization and aspiring young artists.

“Children with the Boys and Girls Club get a year-long experience with the Palm Beach Opera, where they get to practice and write their own operas with a writing coach, and get sent to famous operas,” Barbato says. This year the theme was handling bullying, and the children created stories based on their own experiences with bullying and how they wish things would turn out differently.”

Barbato and Palm Beach Opera are excited to announce the upcoming 2025 season with productions at the Kravis Center, beginning with a timeless favorite, Roméo Et Juliette on January 24.

The season will be followed by Guiseppe Verdi’s La Traviata on February 21-23 and will conclude with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in April.

Visit pbopera.org.