SAN FRANCISCO, CA (April 21, 2023) – The Board of Directors of San Francisco Ballet announced today that Danielle St.Germain has stepped down from her position as Executive Director. Arturo Jacobus has taken on the responsibility of Interim Executive Director while SF Ballet undertakes an international search to fill the position. The Board of Trustees will be forming a committee to launch an international search for St.Germain’s successor in the coming months.
“We thank Danielle for her tireless efforts to help SF Ballet emerge from the pandemic, launch its 90th anniversary season and next@90 Festival, and support the transition of a new artistic leader of the company. Her fundraising efforts have been vital as the Ballet and arts organizations across the Bay area and across the country navigate the post-pandemic cultural landscape. We wish her all the best in her future pursuits,” said Sunnie Evers, co-chair of the Board of Directors.
“It has been an honor to work with the amazing company of dancers and an administrative team that moves mountains to support one of the premiere ballet companies in world. Working alongside Artistic Directors Helgi Tomasson and Tamara Rojo has been one of the highlights of my career,” said St.Germain. “It’s an exciting time for the Ballet, and I look forward to seeing where Tamara takes the company in the seasons to come.”
Robert Shaw, co-chair of the Board of Directors, added “We are delighted that Arturo Jacobus, who has extensive experience leading arts organization across the country, including serving as Chief Executive at SF Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, has agreed to return to San Francisco as our Interim Executive Director. He will help us kick off the just announced 2024 season, the first curated by Tamara Rojo. The season is filled with premieres, company firsts, cross disciplinary collaborations, and works rarely seen in the United States, celebrating the artists and histories of San Francisco and spotlighting women’s voices on stage and off.”
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO BALLET
San Francisco Ballet is a leading ballet company and trailblazer in dance locally, nationally, and internationally. Performing, commissioning, and collaborating with exceptional artists in dance and across disciplines, SF Ballet balances an innovative focus on new and contemporary choreography with a deeply held dedication to the classics. SF Ballet is a catalyst for the future of ballet by cultivating creativity, bringing dance of the highest caliber to a wide audience, and providing exceptional training opportunities for the next generation of professional dancers in its world-renowned School.
Since its founding in 1933 and as the oldest professional ballet company in the United States, the Ballet has been an innovator in the artform and an originator of beloved cultural traditions, from staging the first American production of Swan Lake to bringing an annual holiday Nutcracker to U.S. audiences.
MEDIA CONTACT
Josh Balber
Resnicow and Associates
jbalber@resnicow.com / 212-671-5175