IN Series, the genre-bending opera-theater company known for daring productions that blend music, drama, and cultural storytelling, has appointedDavid Mackas its first-ever Executive Director. The move marks a major leadership milestone for an organization expanding its footprint across Washington, D.C. and Baltimore.

Mack steps into the role alongsideArtistic Director Timothy Nelson, joining a company that has steadily built a reputation for work that feels less like opera confined to an ivory tower and more like immersive, community-rooted performance that meets audiences where they are.

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During a recent conversation withThe Baltimore Times, Mack described his path to IN Series as anything but traditional.

“I was not an opera kid,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about opera. I was intimidated by it. I thought that it was elitist and for other people, not me.”

Born in Far Rockaway, Queens and raised in Connecticut, Mack’s artistic foundation began in theater. He studied at Cornell University and later earned his MFA at the California Institute for the Arts (CalArts).

Long before he was managing budgets and building partnerships, Mack was performing. He sang in choirs, joined a cappella groups, and immersed himself in the collaborative energy of live performance.

After graduate school, Mack landed what became a defining role as Managing Director of Watts Village Theater Company in South Los Angeles. There, he learned arts administration in real time.

“I didn’t know what a managing director did before I got that job,” he shared. “So it was on-the-job training. Trial by fire.”

With a lean staff and significant community responsibility, Mack handled operations, fundraising, marketing, finance, governance support, and strategy. That experience now informs his approach as IN Series’ inaugural executive director.

Mack’s entry into opera came through innovation rather than tradition.

He recalls being recruited to help produceInvisible Cities, a “headphone opera” staged inside a fully functioning train station in Los Angeles. Audience members followed performers through public space while the orchestra and vocalists were mixed live and transmitted wirelessly to headphones.

The result transformed everyday passersby into part of the opera’s living set.

“That was my first production in opera,” Mack said. “That’s what made me a fan of that type of opera.”

He credits the experience with reshaping his understanding of what opera can be and who it can be for. It also introduced a philosophy he now brings to IN Series: opera survives and grows by welcoming more voices, more forms, and more communities into the room.

“I think it’s existential,” Mack said. “If this field is going to survive, it’s going to need folks like us. Not only in it, but helping to advance it.”

For Baltimore audiences, Mack’s message is clear. Don’t let the label “opera” decide whether you belong.

He acknowledged a familiar reaction he often hears from potential audiences.

“People will say, ‘Oh, IN Series is an opera company,’ and then immediately say, ‘That means it’s not for me.’”

Mack understands that instinct personally and sees it as part of the work ahead.

“As I shared with my story, that’s what I thought,” he said. “Opera was not for me.”

Instead, he describes IN Series as a company pushing boundaries. Some may call the work opera. Others may call it theater, music, or something else entirely. What matters most, he emphasized, is the emotional impact.

“We’re doing work that inspires people to feel something deeply.”

Mack now lives in Silver Spring, but he is intentional about Baltimore being more than an occasional stop on the calendar.

He toldThe Baltimore Timesthat IN Series aims to deepen its presence in Baltimore in ways that are mutually beneficial and grounded in real relationships. The goal is not simply bringing productions into the city and leaving.

“To be successful in my position, it’s important to build authentic relationships both in D.C. and Baltimore,” Mack said.

He added that he plans to be in Baltimore regularly, ideally bi-weekly, as he meets cultural leaders, partners, and community organizations.

That relationship-building mindset is already showing up in the company’s programming and events scheduled for the months ahead.

This spring, IN Series will bringFOR WOMEN SERVING TIME, a work inspired by conversations around formerly incarcerated women, to Baltimore atBaltimore Theatre ProjectfromApril 10–12, 2026.

The production is part of IN Series’Passion Playsfestival, which explores themes of suffering, redemption, and transformation through new music-theater works.

In addition to the performances, IN Series plans community engagement events, including a Baltimore salon designed to spark dialogue and deepen context around the work. These gatherings are intended to create space for audience members, artists, and community leaders to connect beyond the stage.

IN Series has also announced aBaltimore BrunchatGunther & Co., designed to strengthen ties with Baltimore-based supporters and partners.

Asked what he hopes to accomplish in a challenging national landscape for the arts, Mack did not shy away from the moment.

He said he wants IN Series to be remembered as audacious and consequential. A company willing to take creative risks while delivering work that matters.

A major part of his leadership, he explained, will be protecting the organization’s artistic freedom.

“I want to fiercely protect and defend the artistic freedom of the company,” Mack said. “So that the company feels free, safe, and supported to express itself unapologetically.”

Mack encouraged Baltimore residents to follow IN Series’ digital channels, particularlyLinkedInandInstagram, as a way to stay connected and engage directly with the organization.

For Baltimore audiences, the invitation is simple. Come experience the work. Bring a friend who thinks opera is not for them. Be part of shaping what this art form can become.

Because if Mack’s story proves anything, it is that opera does not have to be inherited. It can be discovered. And in Baltimore, IN Series is betting that discovery can feel like home.

Harold Booker Jr. is the founder and principal of DrewJenk Consulting, a boutique firm that specializes in project management, technology, and community engagement. He is also a frequent contributor to the Baltimore Times, writing about arts, culture, and social issues that connect personal history with community impact.