Christopher Hahn to retire after 2025-26 season
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March 6, 2025
Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn will retire at the conclusion of Pittsburgh Opera’s 2025-26 season. Mr. Hahn made the announcement during yesterday's Board of Directors meeting.
Mr. Hahn has been Pittsburgh Opera’s General Director since 2008, and has served as its Artistic Director since 2000.
A native of South Africa, Mr. Hahn began his career in opera in 1983 as Rehearsal Administrator at San Francisco Opera. He then managed the San Francisco Opera Center, including the world-renowned Merola Opera Program. Following his 13-year tenure in San Francisco, he served as Artistic Administrator at Los Angeles Opera.
Under his leadership, Pittsburgh Opera has significantly expanded its repertoire, introducing Baroque and contemporary operas. Pittsburgh Opera has produced its first three world premieres (The Summer King – the Josh Gibson Story in 2017; Savage Winter in 2018; In a Grove in 2022), with two more in the queue – Woman With Eyes Closed in April 2025, and Time to Act in February 2026.
Mr. Hahn has built Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist training program into one of the nation’s best. The program routinely receives over 800 applications for just a handful of open slots each year. Its alums regularly win prestigious national and international awards, and go on to stellar careers in opera. Some notable artists who came through the program during Mr. Hahn’s tenure include Sean Panikkar, Audrey Luna, Eric Ferring, Alexandra Loutsion, Taylor Raven, Benjamin Taylor, Stephanie Havey, Daniel O’Hearn, and Emily Richter.
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Hahn’s steady hand and stout spirit navigated uncharted waters. Pittsburgh Opera was the first opera company, and one of few performing arts organizations in the country, to be able to have live indoor performances for in-person audiences during the height of the pandemic.
“No single person is more responsible for Pittsburgh Opera’s many successes these past two and a half decades than Christopher Hahn,” says Pittsburgh Opera Board Chair Michele Fabrizi. “His vision and dedication are truly second to none.”
Pittsburgh Opera had retained the services of Margaret Genovese of Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates to conduct a comprehensive search for Mr. Hahn’s replacement. It is anticipated that his successor will be identified and announced in early 2026.
Fittingly, the final opera Pittsburgh Opera will produce during Mr. Hahn’s tenure will be Falstaff, which famously was composer Giuseppe Verdi’s final opera. Pittsburgh Opera’s season-ending Maecenas Gala, May 16, 2026 at the Carnegie Music Hall, will feature special tributes to Mr. Hahn and the impact he’s had on opera both in Pittsburgh and worldwide.
