In what is becoming the New York City Opera’s only conduit of information to the public, a Friday afternoon news dump reveals that the company has laid off 11 members of its administrative staff.  The layoffs are “because of financial pressures and a lack of work caused by the cancellation of most of its season.”

The startling bit here is that there was no official announcement made: NYCO’s spokesman, Pascal Nadon, finally admitted the development when directly questioned about it, according to Daniel J. Wakin.  Nadon added (oh, did I mention this?) that the company has dismissed its executive director, Jane M. Gullong, will leave the company, “as Mr. Mortier has effectively eliminated her job.”

In a related Times piece, Anthony Tommasini writes that Gérard Mortier‘s last minute bid to run the Bayreuth Festival was in fact nothing more than a ploy to get the NYCO board’s attention. Mortier explains that he felt he was “drowning” and needed to be rescued. Susan L. Baker, the City Opera chairwoman (at right in photo), had a different simile handy: “he is like the pretty girl at the dance who gets lots of offers to trip the light fantastic.”

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