In a startling double-reverse action, the board of the New York City Opera has chosen George Steel as the company’s new General Director. The formal announcement of Steel’s appointment made moments ago (as, need one say, La Cieca predicted) in the New York Times. Steel, whose 14-week incumbency as General Manager of Dallas Opera has been mostly uneventful so far, previously had announced he was “not interested” in the NYCO position.

According to a source close to NYCO, Steel was one of two finalists for the position; the other was stage director Francesca Zambello, who has frequently produced operas for the company. The source added that what seemed to tip the scales in Steel’s favor was the support of board member Mary Sharp Cronson.  That’s “Sharp” as in The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, which has awarded NYCO over $10 million since 1992.