Photo of Alex Opsahl courtesy of Long Beach CVB.
Musician Alex Opsahl was chosen by the board of directors of Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra to be their new executive director, the orchestra announced this week.
“I am looking forward to working with Musica Angelica’s board of directors, staff, and music patrons to develop and maintain a thriving early music community that will benefit and enrich not only Long Beach, but the entire Southern California region,” Opsahl said in a statement.
Opsahl grew up in Norway and later moved to London to continue her musical education. She studied the recorder under Peter Holtslag and Daniel Brugen at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with First Class Honors in 2004. She later traveled to Italy to study cornetto privately with Bruce Dickey and continued at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Her accolades include numerous music awards, including the 2003 Moeck Solo Recorder Competition. Both a professional recorder and cornetto player, she has performed on tour in Europe and North America with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra under Ton Koopman, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Apollo’s Fire, the Green Mountain Project and Le Studio Musique Anciennes de Montreal among others.
She has also performed at the Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and the Royal Albert Hall, and played in the filmed production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea with both Oslo Opera and Glyndebourne Opera, according to the announcement.
Her past experience includes working as a project manager for numerous musical events as well as an artistic director for the baroque ensemble Tesserae. She has developed her administrative skills over the years with concert operations and fundraising events. She has also developed contacts both globally and with the Los Angeles musical community.
Opsahl’s husband, Ian Pritchard, is also a musician at Colburn School of Music. The two are parents of Oliver, four and Oscar, two. Opsahl stated the new position will allow her to spend more time with her family.
“Having small kids is one reason I am taking a step back from the busy touring life of a musician, and looking forward to starting a position that will allow me to stay near my family,” Opsahl said in a statement. “As a Norwegian, I absolutely adore Southern California. I spent 18 years barely seeing the sun, only to move to rainy London. I have lived here for nine years, but still get a little excited when I see the ocean.”
As Musica Angelica’s new executive director, Opsahl will be responsible for the orchestra’s community relations, internal operations, revenue development, artistic production, audience development and marketing, educational and outreach programming, as well as budget creation, implementation and monitoring, according to the release.
For more information about Musica Angelica, visit the website here.