Jan 25, 2026 By Brad Hundt 3 min read

Like a lot of teenagers in the mid-to-late 1980s, William Powers was taken with REM, U2, the Clash and other bands that could be found on MTV or pouring out of boom boxes.

But he soon found himself mixing a little Berlioz with Bono and Camille Saint-Saens with Michael Stipe.

Thanks to “an extraordinary high school teacher” who opened Powers’ eyes and ears to the arias of “Rigoletto” when he was growing up in the suburbs of New York City, he decided to journey to Manhattan to take in a performance of “La Boheme.”

“That really captivated me,” Powers recalled. “I had an extraordinary visceral response.”

He added, “It nurtured a burgeoning passion for (opera) and it has not left since.”

His obsession having become his profession, Powers’ love of opera has taken him from the Juilliard School to jobs with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Berkshire Opera Company in Massachusetts, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and the Pittsburgh Opera.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Powers, a 53-year-old resident of Mt. Lebanon, will become the general director of Pittsburgh Opera as of July 1. He’ll be succeeding Christopher Hahn, who has been the company’s general director since 2008.

Since 2021, Powers has been the executive director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, which features musicians aged 14 to 20 from around the region.

In a news release announcing Powers’ hiring, Pittsburgh Opera Board President Gene Welsh said Powers was “uniquely qualified to lead Pittsburgh Opera into the future,” citing his familiarity with “our company, our city and our patrons.” Welsh also pointed to Powers’ “ability to successfully helm performing arts organizations.”

Hahn said, “There is no one I would rather turn the reins over to than Bill Powers. Having worked with him for well over a decade, I have witnessed and benefitted from his expertise, judgment and counsel. His work ethic and integrity are second to none.”

Powers explained that when he was at Juilliard, he was interested in the idea of being a singer, but soon gravitated toward the administrative side of the arts. His wife, Sari Gruber, is a soprano who has appeared with many national and international opera companies and teaches at Carnegie Mellon University.

Having been on the performance side, “I think it’s something that resulted in greater awareness and sensitivity” in what artists deal with when they stand in front of an audience, Powers explained.

One of Powers’ goals when he becomes the Pittsburgh Opera’s general director at mid-year is getting more young people to come to performances. He noted that music education has sometimes gotten lost in the shuffle in some school districts, and there are no longer retail outlets like Tower Records with an overflowing stock of classical music to pique the curiosity of younger listeners. But he also sees many talented young people participating in the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, and “there is still a place for it, and I certainly hope we can find ways to expand.”

In the years ahead, Powers also sees the Pittsburgh Opera’s seasons blending newer works and smaller-scale pieces along with familiar, beloved operas that have been traditional draws for audiences.

Powers noted, “Pittsburgh Opera has a long, distinguished lineage of general directors. This company has accomplished great things in its first 87 seasons. I look forward to building on the legacy of artistic excellence, while helping ensure Pittsburgh Opera’s continued long-term fiscal stability.”