The Detroit Opera’s first Black President and CEO, Wayne S. Brown, is stepping down from the position after nine years, the Detroit Free Press reported yesterday.
“Brown, who took the reins from founder Dr. David DiChiera in 2014, shepherded the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and into its modern era of international acclaim after the appointment of Yuval Sharon as artistic director,” the publication stated.
Born and reared in Detroit, Brown received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. His resume includes establishing the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s annual Classical Roots Concerts; serving as project director of National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors from 2008-2011, where he directed the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, the nation’s highest honor in jazz; working a producer of music programs for the Cultural Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia, where he managed music events associated with the 1996 Olympic Games; and leading the Louisville Orchestra as its executive director.
Brown intends to stay until the end of his contract or when his successor is named.
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