The Mary Renault Society

MRS welcomes Cary Byrd, Director of Development with North Carolina Opera in a discussion on the amazing history, recent activities and accomplishments, and exciting future of this remarkable 12-year-old cultural institution in the Triangle region and beyond.

Now entering his 23rd year in arts administration and fundraising,Carrigan Byrd is passionate about performing arts and has enjoyed leading development programs in most every genre in the field including, jazz, chamber music, theater, orchestral music, ballet, and opera. His experience and back-ground encompasses all aspects of fundraising ranging from prospect research and data base structure to grant writing and award-winning special events. Particularly skilled at cultivating individual giving programs, he has consistently strengthened organizational relationships with donors and increased individual contributions by as much as 41% in previous positions. Collaborative, transparent, and driven by details, Carrigan joined the NCO team in September 2021 and has already helped NCO realize significant growth in contributed income during its 2021/22 Season.

Prior to his career in arts administration, Carrigan enjoyed an equally successful career as a professional musician (French horn and organ) and music educator. He served as Associate Director of Bands and Orchestras at Sumter High (Sumter, SC), one of the largest and most celebrated music programs in the state, and held positions with The South Carolina Philharmonic, Augusta Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Symphonietta, and with St. Lukes Methodist Church (Hartsville, SC), Virginia Wingard Memorial United Methodist Church (Columbia, SC), and University Presbyterian Church (Baton Rouge, LA.) He additionally performed regularly with orchestras, opera houses, ballet companies, and professional theater companies across the Southeast and Gulf Coast.