Francesca Zambello, photo by Magdalena Papaioannou;
Sally Susman, photo by Josh Jordan
Tickets
General Ticket: $30
Members: $25
Welcome, Francesca Zambello! The lifelong opera expert, known for being at the top of her field and for her esteemed leadership as the Artistic Director of the Washington National Opera (WNO) joins us for an intriguing presentation and dialogue. Zambello recently made headlines when she pulled the company from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, its home venue since 1971.
Zambello shares her reflections of this experience with Sally Susman, the best-selling author of Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World and valued Board Member of The Church. Following the dialogue the two will host a Q&A with the audience.
ABOUT FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO
The internationally recognized opera and theater director has been the Artistic Director of the Washington National Opera since 2013. She is also the Artistic & General Director of the Glimmerglass Festival, Emerita. She served as the Artistic Advisor to the San Francisco Opera from 2005 to 2011 and as the Artistic Director of the Skylight Theatre from 1987 to 1992. Zambello’s U.S. directing debut occurred at Houston Grand Opera with a production of Fidelio. She has staged new productions at major theaters and opera houses in Europe, Asia, Australia, Russia, and the U.S. She has worked at more than 50 national and international opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Paris Opera, Bolshoi, Munich State Opera, Covent Garden, and Opera Australia. Her theatrical work has been performed on Broadway, in regional theaters, and on European stages. She has been named a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, a Knight with the Order of the Star of Italy and she has received the Russian Federation’s Arts Medal for her service to culture. Other honors include three Olivier Awards from the London Society of Theatres and two Evening Standard Awards, and two French Gran Prix des Critiques for her work at the Paris Opera and two Green Room Awards for her work in Australia. Recently she was inducted into the Opera America Hall of Fame. She also received the Medallion Society Award from the San Francisco Opera, recognizing 30 years of work for the company, including directing the Ring Cycle in 2011 and 2018, which will return in 2028.
Photo by Magdalena Papaioannou
ABOUT SALLY SUSMAN
Sally Susman is an advisor, advocate, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts and Change the World (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023).
Until 2026, Susman served as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer, the global biopharmaceutical company.
Before joining Pfizer in 2007, Susman held several senior communications and government relations roles at the Estée Lauder Companies and American Express. Earlier in her career, she spent eight years on Capitol Hill focused on international trade issues and was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs in the Clinton Administration.
Currently, Susman serves as co-chair of The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid organizations, and on the board of UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In 2022, Forbes names Susman one of the World’s Most Influential CMOs for Pfizer’s efforts to combat vaccine misinformation and embrace new communications channels. Visit SallySusman.com to learn more.
Photo by Josh Jordan