Cantus Vocal Ensemble has selected Shelley Quiala as Executive Director, and Arts Consulting Group (ACG) extends its congratulations on her leadership appointment. She will begin her tenure in November 2024.
Now in its 30th anniversary season, the “engaging” (New Yorker) low-voice ensemble Cantus is widely known for its trademark warmth and blend, innovative programming, and riveting performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century. The Washington Post has hailed the Cantus sound as having both “exalting finesse” and “expressive power” and refers to the “spontaneous grace” of its music making. The Philadelphia Inquirer called the group nothing short of “exquisite.”
Shelley Quiala is an executive in the performing arts and humanities and a lifelong advocate for arts and culture access and equity is excited to join the Cantus organization as the new Executive Director. She is currently a senior strategist in programming and development for the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut, where she served as Executive Director from August 2020 to October 2024. Arts & Ideas presents hundreds of artists and speakers annually in venues in and around downtown New Haven. Since 2020, these have included Wynton Marsalis, Baratunde Thurston, Angelique Kidjo, Brooklyn Rider, Toshi Reagan, Amy Tan, Jon Secada, and Dolores Huerta. During Shelley's tenure, Arts & Ideas began offering programming in Spanish, built a full-time staff and board to more closely align with the racial diversity of New Haven, and increased contributed revenue by 50 percent. The work has been recognized and awarded by the Greater New Haven Chapter of the NAACP, the Gateway Community College Foundation New Haven’s Freddy Fixer Parade Committee, and the Jamaican American Connection. In October 2024, Quiala will accept a spotlight award from the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut.
Shelley previously served as Vice President of Programming, Education, and Community Engagement at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Under her leadership, concerts, comedy, dance, and educational programming reached more than 150,000 people annually.
ACG is the leading provider of hands-on interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement, strategic planning & community engagement, and facilities & program planning and research services for the arts and culture industry. ACG consultants are located in communities across the United States and Canada to best serve the needs of our clients. ACG team members have decades of combined senior leadership experience in every artistic and cultural discipline and area of functional management expertise.