DBT40 Honoree: Kerriann Otaño

Title: Vice President of Engagement

Kerriann Otaño | DBT PHOTO BY LUIGI CIUFFETELLI

Workplace: OperaDelaware

Age: 37

Kerriann Otaño’s voice on and off the stage has worked to benefit Delawareans across the state as she continues to increase visibility for OperaDelaware. She found a love for music early on, one that would lead her to her husband while singing in a college acapella group. 

Now, as the vice president of engagement for the 11th oldest opera company in the country  — OperaDelaware, she continues to sing for various groups while sharing the organization which has been in operation for 75 years. She has helped further introduce social media to the cause, taking new and seasoned patrons alike on a behind the scenes adventure of all things opera. Statewide activities like Pop-Up Opera, free public appearances and other opportunities have also helped OperaDelaware soar with the help of Otaño’s leadership.

Otaño strongly believes in building an artist-led opera company that will empower creatives and engage the community, providing Delaware with a creative identity that will make it a destination for artists and those who seek art. In her spare time, she was a member of the Leadership Delaware cohort of 2023 and a TEDx speaker in Tennessee in the same year where she had the opportunity to share about joyful advocacy and demystifying opera.

She has also served on local panels, and along the way became a national spokesperson for the arts. Otaño and her husband recently started partnering with music education departments at local schools and she often performs the National Anthem for nearby service organizations and nonprofits.  They have a Puggle named Frankenstein and a Chiweenie, a chihuahua and dachshund mix, named Chalupa or Lup for short.