Florida Grand Opera announced today that Music Director Stewart Robertson has decided to relinquish his position at the conclusion of the current season in May 2009. It should be noted Robertson has not completely pried his mouth off the American teat, as he will continue as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Florida based Atlantic Classical Orchestra. He has even expressed some vague and surely quixotic notions about trying to get work in his native Scotland.
La Cieca has just been informed that Boston Lyric Opera “is mere hours away” from announcing their new Director of Artistic Operations, Nicholas Russell (formerly of Glimmerglass Opera before the regime coup there). It should be noted that although Russell is “dall’ immondo sangue degl’inglesi dei scozie,” he is a naturalized U.S. citizen, so it’s debatable whether he should be called a “fucking Brit.” (La Cieca leaves it to her cher public to raise that debate.)
Meanwhile, here in New York, the NYCO board is meeting to discuss possible candidates to fill the gap left by the defection of Gerard Mortier. City Opera honchess Susan Baker told Bloomberg News she hopes a new general manager may be hired by the end of the year. Reportedly Michael Kaiser is assisting in the search process.
Baker, speaking at a fundraiser for the NYCO, lamented the “punishing economic environment that has so affected philanthropy.” Bloomberg neglects to mention whether the black-tie crowd pelted her with garbage.
Climaxing “a two-year search,” Glimmerglass Opera has pulled off the unique coup of persuading a British music director to lead an American music festival. According to the New York Times, David Angus, whose international credits include the Glyndebourne Festival, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Mozart Players, will succeed his compatriot Stewart Robertson at the post. In anticipation of the 2009 season, Dame Anne Evans and Jonathan Peter Kenny are already packing their bags.
In what may be 2008′s most stellar example of unintentional irony, the organization Opera America has elected as its new chairman … a Brit. According to musicalamerica.com, Anthony Freud, newcomer General Director and CEO of the Houston Grand Opera, will succeed Opera Theater of St. Louis General Director Charles MacKay. Opera America President Marc Scorca deemed British citizen Freud’s election a “reflection of the importance and stature of Houston Grand Opera among our community of companies and colleagues by whom HGO is considered a leader in innovation and excellence.” However, notes Musical America’s Susan Eliott, “It should be noted that Freud, [...]
“Houston Grand Opera has appointed Laura Canning to run its young-artist training program, Houston Grand Opera Studio, effective Aug. 1. She follows General Director and CEO Anthony Freud from the Welsh National Opera, where she has been artistic administrator for the last ten years.” [via musicalamerica.com]Â
Cher Public