Wheeler Opera House executive director stepping down

Wheeler Opera House Executive Director Lisa Rigsby Peterson will step down after leading the opera house for three years, the City of Aspen announced in a media release on Thursday.

Peterson joined the Wheeler Opera House in spring 2021 and helped lead post-pandemic, re-opening efforts and programming a mix of film, dance, concerts, lectures, and community celebrations. She decided to leave to return to Denver and support her family.

“Over the past three years, I have been balancing the needs of my Denver-based extended family and the need for me to return to Denver to be with them has become a priority,” she said in the release. “So it is with both regret and gratitude that I thank the City of Aspen for the opportunity to lead the Wheeler and its wonderful team as I look to my next chapter.”

She came to the Wheeler after a decade as the founding executive director of the municipally-owned Lone Tree Arts Center. She will continue her role as executive director of the Wheeler until the end of August to allow the city time to design and implement a search process to identify her replacement.

“Her contributions have been instrumental in advancing the Wheeler Opera House’s mission,” City Manager Sara Ott said in the release. “I am grateful for Lisa’s diligence in continuing the excellent programming for the community.”

Peterson said she was grateful for the opportunity to lead the Wheeler and the arts community through a key transitional time.

“The past three years working alongside visionary city leadership, a passionate advisory board, and the extraordinarily talented and dedicated Wheeler staff have been incredibly fulfilling for me,” she said in the release. “Together, we re-opened the Wheeler to our community, resumed beloved traditions, created new partnerships with exceptional local artists and organizations, introduced diverse and international programming, and increased offerings designed for the whole family, including student matinees and school outreach programs across the Roaring Fork Valley. The work has been and continues to be important and meaningful.”