A source close to the Met tells La Cieca that “all the house’s union representatives” will meet with Peter Gelb today to discuss rank and file “anxieties” about exposure to radiation and other safety concerns during the company’s planned tour to Japan scheduled for June. The bulk of Met personnel are scheduled to depart on the three-week tour on May 29, exactly two months from today, with members of the tech crew flying over as early as the the second week of May. 

Meanwhile, blogger OperaFille asserts the company “won’t cancel the entire trip unless the soloists bow out.” You will forgive La Cieca for opining that since one of the main attractions of the tour is Don Carlo featuring Barbara Frittoli, Olga Borodina, Jonas Kaufmann, Rene Pape and James Levine, it’s hardly going to take another tsunami to start the cancellations rolling in.

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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