Cory Lippiello

For more than three decades, Cory Lippiello has guided artists and institutions as they turn ambitious ideas into living, breathing work. As Chief Producing Officer at Austin Opera, she oversees the company’s Artistic and Production departments and leads artistic planning and season programming at the Sarah and Ernest Butler Performance Center and the Long Center, working closely with General Director & CEO Annie Burridge to shape the company’s long-term artistic vision.

Cory joins Austin Opera after a decade as Director of Artistic Programs at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where her portfolio ranged from principal artist casting for mainstage opera and musical theater, interdisciplinary commissions, community programming, and acclaimed digital projects. Her work has been recognized with an Emmy Award for producing a filmed production of Pagliacci (2022), and two Artios Awards for casting Fiddler on the Roof (2023) and West Side Story (2024).

Prior to joining Lyric in 2015, Cory served as Director of Artistic Planning for The Atlanta Opera following ten years as Artistic Administrator for New York City Opera, overseeing casting for more than 120 operas and musicals. Her career includes leadership and artistic positions with Wolf Trap Opera, the New York Philharmonic, IMG Artists, OPERA America, and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

The first casting director from the opera world elected to the Casting Society of America (CSA), Cory is a frequent mentor and speaker on the evolving American opera field. She often serves as an adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. A classically trained dancer, she holds a B.A. with honors in Drama from Vassar College.