Esther Nelson announces her finale as Boston Lyric Opera director By A.Z. Madonna Globe Staff,Updated March 10, 2021, 1:56 p.m. Email to a Friend Esther Nelson, photographed at her Brookline home in 2019, led the company through a period of innovation and growth after an exit from its longtime home at the Shubert Theatre.Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff/file Esther Nelson will step down from her position as general and artistic director of Boston Lyric Opera at the end of this season, the company announced Wednesday. Over 12 years, she led the company through a period of evolution and growth, marked by the establishment of new programs and community partnerships as well as its 2015 exit from the Shubert Theatre with hopes of finding a more suitable stage â a search that is ongoing.