Ned Canty
Since January 2011, Canty has brought opera to the city and the city to the opera as general director of Opera Memphis. In 2012 he launched “30 Days of Opera,” a monthlong festival of free performances throughout Memphis, celebrating its eighth season this fall. In 2017, Canty launched The McCleave Project, an initiative focused on creating increased diversity in opera, both in the audience and on stage. Opera Memphis continues to stage important new works as it did at this year’s Midtown Opera Festival that featured The Falling and the Rising. He has also directed shows for the Santa Fe Opera, Chautauqua Opera, New York City Opera, and Florida Grand Opera, as well as productions in China, Israel, Italy, and Canada. Canty was named an Inside Memphis Business CEO of the Year in 2017.
