Spotlight on: Officer of Corporate Partnerships Lyanne Alvarado

Lyanne Alvarado is right where she wants to be. Outgoing and ambitious, the native Houstonian has held three roles in her three years with Houston Grand Opera, working her way from Artistic Services Coordinator, to Assistant Manager of Rehearsal Planning and Artist Services, to her current role in HGO’s Philanthropy Department. As an Officer of Corporate Partnerships, Lyanne connects with Houston companies that want to give back by supporting the arts, creating opportunities for them to share world-class opera with their city. With her musical background, this self-proclaimed opera nerd and people person has been living out her dream at HGO.  

Here’s Lyanne on her life and career, in her own words:   

I have a background in vocal performance. But like many folks, I graduated with my master’s during COVID. So I was left looking around with this piece of paper, thinking, what do I do now? Then I found this opportunity at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. It was a fellowship for young BIPOC individuals looking to launch their careers in administration. I was always very curious, and my professors used to tell me that I’d be a good fit for the field. So, I took a shot, got in, and never looked back. 

Houston Grand Opera was the dream company. The goal was always to come back home. When I first started, in 2021, I took a seasonal opportunity in artistic administration. My time as an Artist Services Coordinator was fun because I got to work with the artists, book their flights, hotels, and be part of the Rehearsal Planning and Artist Services team. It was a great opportunity for me to really learn about the art that was being put on the stage.  

When my time in that role ended, I started looking for other opportunities. I heard great things about the Glimmerglass Festival in New York and took on an apprenticeship with their artistic administration team for the summer. After that I turned my sights back to HGO, where I landed the Assistant Manager position with the Rehearsal Planning and Artist Services team. I was thrilled to be back, but I still had aspirations of being a fundraiser.  

Everyone at HGO was so supportive. I was lucky that I was able to be open with my supervisor that I was looking to pivot to fundraising. He encouraged me to go for it and didn’t hold me back. Being around people who genuinely encourage your career growth is so rare. I was in a unique position because not only did I have the support of my current team, but I also had people in philanthropy rooting for me. But even with all that support, there were just no philanthropy officer positions available at the time, so I was still playing the long game. 

I thought, I’ll keep meeting with people. I’ll keep going out with fundraising team members in the company, getting coffee, lunches, asking them more questions about their experience. Then, when it just so happened that two positions opened up, they came to me and were like, hey, you’ve been bugging us for almost a year now. Guess what? Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I’m about nine months into my current role, and I’m just having a blast. I love it so much. 

I’m a Mozart girlie through and through, especially the Mozart-Da Ponte operas—I just love those. But my favorite opera that I learned in school was Massenet’s Cendrillon. It was the last opera I ever performed in my master’s, so it’ll always have a special place in my heart. The way Massenet composed it is so whimsical and beautiful that the music almost sparkles. I don’t know if HGO ever plans on bringing it back to the stage, but in the meantime, I’ll be enjoying Rossini’s Cinderella next season. I’m looking forward to that. 

Even though I’m a fundraiser, I don’t see myself as a salesperson. I meet the people representing their corporations, get to know them as individuals, and learn more about what the pillars of giving and philanthropy are at those corporations. A part of that is, in addition to being a good listener, being a matchmaker. I get to say, you know what? Your company cares about this, I think y’all would be a great fit for supporting this initiative. 

I’m very lucky that I found my niche. I found a place where I can use all the skills that I’ve accumulated—and I can attend the opera during the season! It’s something I can share with my family. They absolutely love the opera. And my boyfriend, too. I’m really excited about next season’s “truly, madly, deeply” theme—I already told him, hey, we’re going to have to go to every opera next year because the theme is love. I can’t think of a better date night. And he’s so down.  

It’s exciting to see my supervisors be leaders in the industry. We are one of the largest and most successful opera companies in the nation. To work alongside people that are not only leading this company, but the opera world as a whole, is what really fuels my work. I know I’m learning from the best of the best. Getting here has been a bit of a journey, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.