Tania Castroverde Moskalenko stepping down as CEO of the Auditorium Theatre

Auditorium Theatre CEO Tania Castroverde Moskalenko will be stepping down from her post at the end of July, it was announced Thursday. She is joining the Miami City Ballet as its executive director. The Cuban-born Castroverde Moskalenko was raised in Miami where her family still resides.

“I am deeply saddened to leave the Auditorium Theatre and the city of Chicago, a city that truly understands the transformational powers of the performing arts,” Castroverde Moskalenko said in a statement. “It has long been a dream of mine to return to Miami and be closer to my parents after over 30 years apart. This move does not diminish my passion for the Auditorium, its mission, its dedicated Board of Directors, and its fantastic staff, and I will forever remain one of the theatre’s strongest supporters.”

In a 2016 interview with the Sun-Times shortly after beginning her tenure as CEO of the Auditorium, Castroverde Moskalenko spoke of her plans for the Chicago cultural institution: “As a great believer in the transformative power of the arts … I plan to put a big emphasis on outreach. The arts are such a powerful form of education, and I want to get immersed with the team already in place, and increase the participation of donors, board members and patrons.”

Perhaps the biggest development during Castroverde Moskalenko’s tenure was the 2017 announcement by the Joffrey Ballet of its decision to pull up stakes at the Auditorium, which had served as its Chicago “home” since 1995.

Thursday’s announcement noted that under Castroverde Moskalenko’s leadership the Auditorium “experienced a significant financial turnaround… and is projected to end Fiscal Year 2018 in August with a surplus. The creation of a programming department in January of 2017 has led to a 20 percent increase in theatre utilization in just 16 months, and is projected to increase again during the 2018-19 Season.”

Rachel Freund, the theater’s chief financial officer, will serve as interim CEO while the Board of Directors conducts its search for Castroverde Moskalenko’s replacement.