The fall was busy with meetings abroad that demonstrated the truly international nature of opera. I was honored to speak at the Business of Opera conference hosted in London by the Laidlaw Opera Trust, to lead a session at Opera Europa’s fall conference in Torino, Italy, and then, to serve as a panelist at the Ópera Latinoamérica (OLA) conference in Santiago, Chile. The cluster of meetings around the world extended the global conversation that started at the World Opera Forum in June in Los Angeles and, for some, continued at a conference hosted in Beijing by the National Center for the Performances Arts.We know opera is an international art form, but our focus on opera locally can obscure the dynamism of the global opera community. In Santiago, it was fascinating to learn that staff from the Finnish National Opera have been working with six South American companies to provide training on their exciting XR Stage technology, a time-saving and expense-saving virtual design tool. Peter Maniura, director of the IMZ Academy in Vienna, described his program that provides training for technical staff from around the world in multi-camera direction of live performances. Sultan Al-Bazei, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Theater and Performing Arts Commission, hosted a lunch to talk about the new theater complexes being built in Riyadh and Jeddah and his interest in co-production and artist training. In a single session, Alejandra Martí of OLA spoke about OPERA America’s Leadership Intensive, and I shared helpful content I drew from a keynote presentation at Opera Europa. Opera leaders are learning from each other and benefitting from different perspectives and experiences that are rooted in the local dynamics of each participating theater. Despite rising nationalism, opera demonstrates, once again, that art can lead the way toward international cooperation, sharing, and friendship. Leaders of American companies have a great deal to gain — and offer — in this international exchange. Our commitment to delivering public value in our communities can be enriched by remaining informed about global trends, strategies, and partnership opportunities.I announced the timeline for my retirement back in November, but that is still almost a year away. I look forward to seeing you for National Trustee Week and our OPERA America Salutes dinner in March and then our annual Opera Conference in Memphis in May.