Company Announces Contract Extensions for General Director & CEO Christopher Milligan and Artistic Director Evans Mirageas, Appointment of Jaimie Meyer as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer.
CINCINNATI (July 15, 2026)—After a weekend of sold-out performances of its world-premiere opera, Lalovavi, Cincinnati Opera today announced updates for three of its top staff leadership positions.
Earlier this year, the Opera’s Board of Trustees voted to extend the contracts of Christopher Milligan, the company’s Harry Fath General Director & CEO, and Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director. Appointed to his role in 2020, Milligan will continue as the company’s chief executive through its 2031 season. Mirageas has served in his role since 2005, and the updated contract extends his tenure through the 2030 season.
“With Chris and Evans, we truly have a dream team leading Cincinnati Opera,” said Board President Ron Bates. “The combination of Chris’s thoughtful, strategic leadership and Evans’s ambitious artistic vision has advanced Cincinnati Opera’s reputation as one of the most innovative opera companies in the country. We’re thrilled for that momentum to continue.”
Jaimie Meyer
Additionally, the company announced Jaimie Meyer as its new Chief Financial and Administrative Officer. Meyer brings more than 14 years of strategic finance and operations experience to the role, joining Cincinnati Opera from The Chartis Group, where she most recently served as Associate Partner advising healthcare executive teams on financial planning, forecasting, and long-term organizational sustainability. She holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a bachelor’s degree in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan. Meyer also has a longstanding personal connection to the performing arts, having been involved in stage performance and technical production early in her life. In her new role, she will oversee the Opera’s financial planning, budgeting, and administrative operations in support of the company’s mission and long-term sustainability.
“Jaimie brings to Cincinnati Opera a deep knowledge of nonprofit financial management and administrative operations,” said Christopher Milligan. “She’s already jumped into our 2026 Summer Festival with both feet, bringing keen judgment and enthusiasm for Cincinnati Opera’s mission. We’re glad to have her on the team as we chart the seasons ahead.”
“I am honored to join an organization with such a strong artistic legacy and commitment to its community. Just walking into Music Hall every day is breathtaking,” said Meyer. “I look forward to enabling the company’s strategic vision to come to fruition and am grateful for being trusted to lead the creation of systems that allow our artists and teams to focus their energy on producing exceptional work.”
MEDIA CONTACT:
Katie Syroney
Director of Communications
ksyroney@cincinnatiopera.org / 513-768-5526