Julia Noulin-Mérat

Julia Noulin-Mérat has been the General Director + CEO of Opera Columbus for the past 4 seasons. With OC, Noulin-Mérat is redefining the very concept of regional opera, with original productions that celebrate emerging talent, fresh perspectives, and modern technology, engaging a new, diverse audience. Julia was named the “2024 Nonprofit Executive of the Year” at the Medical Mutual Pillar Awards. Previously, Noulin-Mérat was for 8 years the Associate Producer at Boston Lyric Opera and was the co-Artistic Director of Guerilla Opera having begun her tenure as their Producer + Director of Production for 11 years. She is the creative director for Hong Kong-based More Than Musical. In addition, Noulin-Mérat has worked on over 400 opera, theater, and television productions, including 26 new operas, 22 new plays. Other projects include a TEDx talk on site-specific opera productions, Neverland (China Broadway): a $20 million, 50,000 square immersive theater piece in Beijing, a PPE friendly outdoor Fall Festival (Atlanta Opera), an immersive Pagliacci (Boston Lyric Opera) production complete with fairgrounds inside an ice rink and Playground (Opera Omaha) a National touring operatic sound sculpture. She has served on the panel for OPERA America adjudicating the Tobin Director- Designer showcase and is actively involved in the Women’s Opera Network, first as a mentee (General Director distinction) and now this year as a mentor. Noulin-Mérat is a part of the OA Leadership Intensive cohort and currently serves on the OPERA America Board of Directors. With over 20 years of experience in the performing arts industry and a big advocate for cultural equity in opera, she is a graduate of Boston University with a Masters in Business Arts Administration, an MFA in Set Design, a Diversity Inclusion certificate from ESSEC Business School, a social media marketing specialization from Northwestern University, a Fundraising Development Specialization from UC Davis, a Finance & Leadership certification from Harvard Business School. Her work has been featured in Opera News, LiveDesign, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal to name a few.