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Citizens Interested in Arts (CIA) will honor Florida Grand Opera general director and CEO Susan T. Danis during their annual Champion of the Arts Awards Luncheon on Sunday, Mar. 5, 11 a.m. -3:30 p.m., at The Hilton Aventura Hotel.
Each year, CIA selects an individual who has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the arts for commendation.
“Susan Danis is one of an outstanding group of men and women who has continuously exhibited by word or deed that commitment (to the arts),” said Meriddy Kotler, CIA president. “Susan has done a wonderful job with FGO. We honor her with this award as it is given to person who has been an asset to the artistic world and to their particular company.”
The luncheon, held at the Hilton Aventura Hotel, includes a sumptuous luncheon, silent auction, gifts-in-kind prizes, and a variety of performances by CIA’s grantees, including artists from Paxy Inc. and the FGO Studio Artists. The afternoon will culminate with the presentation of the 2023 Champion of the Arts Award to Danis.
CIA, founded in 1997 by a group of friends passionate about supporting the arts, is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for its grants program.
Notable members have included Charlie Cinnamon, famed theatre publicist known as the “Face of South Florida Theatre;” Shelton “Shelley” Berg, an American classical and jazz pianist, Grammy nominee, and dean of the Frost School of Music; Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Books and Books and co- founder of the Miami Book Fair, and Karen Fuller, concert producer and arts administrator at Florida International University. CIA currently is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
The organization has awarded over a million dollars over its lifetime and makes annual grants to a variety of South Florida nonprofit arts-related organizations. In 2023, the nearly 20 grantees include the Alhambra Orchestra, Boca Raton Art Museum, City Theatre, Dance Now Miami, Greater Miami Youth Symphony, Master Chorale of South Florida, Miami Jewish Film Festival, and New World School for the Arts.
Danis has served as the general director and CEO of the Florida Grand Opera (FGO) since October 2012. During her tenure, FGO has produced internationally acclaimed opera, increased the focus on the presentation of 20th and 21st Century works, launched the Made for Miami/Built for Broward Series, developed award winning education and engagement programs, and expanded the size of Studio Artist Program by 30 percent.
Danis previously served as the executive director of Sarasota Opera for twelve years. During her tenure, the company raised $47 million (including legacy gifts) and completed a $20 million renovation of the opera’s 1926 historic theater.
She was awarded the Florida Trust for Historic Preservations Award for Outstanding Achievement in Restoration/Rehabilitation. Prior to Sarasota Opera, she served as the general director of the Lake George Opera Festival (now Opera Saratoga) for eight years.
In January 2012, Danis was appointed to the South Florida affiliate’s board of directors for Fifth Third Bank. She has served as a panelist for the NEA, and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. She also served a six-year term as a member of the board of trustees of OPERA America, where she was treasurer for three years. Danis holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hartford’s Paris Program and a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University.
“It is a great honor to receive this award and be among such a prestigious group of past recipients,” Danis said. “CIA has made a tremendous impact on the South Florida arts community. To be acknowledged by such a committed group of women and men on the occasion of their 25th anniversary is an unforgettable privilege.”
Tickets for the luncheon are $200 per person and are available at cia4arts.org/awardsevent. All proceeds support CIA’s grants program, and 100 percent of funds raised go to the program.
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