The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts has named Frank Sonntag as executive director. Sonntag brings experience from the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts, the Parsons Dance Foundation and Dance St. Louis.
He replaces Mary McColl, who last month became executive director of Actors Equity Association. At the Cowles Center, Sonntag will oversee a Hennepin Avenue performing arts complex set to open Sept. 9. It is envisioned as a flagship facility for the Twin Cities dance community. The organization also runs education programs and houses arts organizations.
Sonntag has an impressive background. In Brooklyn, he reduced operating debt by 50 percent. At Parsons Dance, an internationally known modern ensemble, he managed a $1.5 million annual budget and increased contributions by 300 percent.
The Cowles Center, formerly the Shubert, includes the Hennepin Center for the Arts and the refurbished theater. Ground was broken in November, 2009 after an extended capital campaign raised $42 million.
