Parvan Bakardiev
President/CEO

The General Director and President of the Wichita Grand Opera is a graduate of the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Vienna, Austria, and appeared with the Vienna State Opera, Bregenz and Salzburg Festivals, Florida Philharmonic, Symphony of the Americas, and San Antonio Symphony, among others. Recipient of a fellowship with the San Francisco Opera, he moved to the United States and subsequently served as Artistic Administrator of the Houston Grand Opera, Founder/General Director of the San Antonio Festival, Artistic Director of the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center, and Executive Director of the Monroe County Fine Arts Council in Florida. In addition, he served as consultant to the Kennedy Center, and the Boston, Berlin, and Sakai Operas. Prior to his arrival in Wichita, he served as director of the Greater Palm Beach Symphony. Last year Mr. Bakardiev served on the jury of the International Competition for Opera Singers "Ferruccio Tagliavini" in Austria. Previously, he was a juror of the Mario Del Monaco International Competition in Italy and spent three years on the judging panel of the Love is Folly International Film Festival in Bulgaria.