By La Cieca 
After 11 years during which she has written, edited and/or presided over more than 20,000 stories, weekend TV shows and radio segments on the arts, architecture, books and music, science, travel, the Nazis and Hamlette the micropig, Manuela Hoelterhoff is retiring from Bloomberg News.
The sharp-tongued doyenne intends now to complete her book Hitler’s Summer Seasons: Backstage With the Führer and to spend quality time with the aforementioned Hamlette.
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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Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
