“Stern, the son of iconic violinist Isaac Stern, had been with the company since 2015 as its Chief Conductor after leading positions at Israeli Opera and Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland. The conductor has had a major international career, performing with such companies as the Opéra de Lyon, English National Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and the operas of Metz and Massy in France, among others.
Stern has maintained a strong focus on building the next generation. In 1998, he worked with Stéphane Lissner to create the Académie International d’Art Lyrique at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. In 2003, he founded Opera Fuoco, an organization that has been invited to perform with the Paris Philharmonie, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, as well as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Luzern Festival, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Shanghai Symphony Hall. In 2024, Opera Fuoco commenced a multi-year residency with Opéra Massy. The residency will include, among several other projects, a production of “The Return of Ulysses.”
His impact at Palm Beach Opera has been instantaneous. The company made headlines in 2025 when it announced that soprano Anna Netrebko would make her return to the United States in its annual gala recital. In 2026 the company’s gala recital will feature another superstar, soprano Lisette Oropesa. The 2026 season features three major operas, all of them starring some of opera’s major stars.”
David Salazar – Operawire , February 2026
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