park and bark
Our Own JJ braved the elements for New York City Opera’s outdoor concert of Magic Flute. [NYP]
NYCO
the squid and the yalie
Don’t expect much in the way of art at NYCO for the next few seasons, but, on the bright side, George Steel probably has sufficient water-treading skills to avoid drowning. [NYT]
the goy next door
Among the glitterari at last night’s opening of “a Madison Avenue pop-up thrift shop benefiting the renovated New York City Opera” were Austin Scarlett (Project Runway) and Alex McCord (Real Housewives of New York City). As they (and others less celebrated) perused the gently-used frocks, George Steel discussed tube steak with the Wall Street Journal: […]
sound of silence?
La Cieca has obtained a copy of the main part of the email sent to AGMA members by the organization’s national executive director Alan Gordon in the wake of yesterday’s abortive meeting with NYCO’s George Steel.
must… curtail… season…
“I don’t see how they could not close…There is a slight chance that they can remain open, but where would the money come from?” That’s Robert W. Wilson, former New York City Opera chairman, deftly nabbing the takeaway quote from Robin Pogrebin‘s NYT analysis of what went wrong for the company. And wait until you […]
bizarros start to make sense
La Cieca hears that Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians has reached an agreement with the New York City Opera. Since AGMA agreed in their meeting on May 18 that they would go with whatever 802 decided, “it looks like the season is safe for now,” says our informant.
mad about the choirboy
“Well, you know, this will sound crazy, but because I spent many, many years as a choirboy, I think about service music all the time.” The Man of Steel is Mad About Music on WNYC with Gilbert Kaplan.
a solo from the chorus
La Cieca received this letter yesterday. If you have reviews, opinion pieces, appreciations, or (as in this case) a Letter to the Doyenne, please email to [email protected]. Saving New York City Opera?
season, lightly
In what must be regarded as the season’s most startling volte-face, next month the New York City Opera will perform opera. As part of the River to River Festival, the company will present a tab version of The Magic Flute, Massenet’s La Navarraise and a concert of the usual pops stuff. Performances June 25-27 will […]
the verb “to stonewall”
Reflecting on NYCO’s recent raid on its endowment, blogger David Curry writes about “what we might term ‘reasonable transparency’ when Board actions potentially compromise a nonprofit’s operating viability. Of particular interest (to La Cieca anyway) is Curry’s account of his communication (if that is not too strong a word) with Pascal Nadon, the NYCO’s Director […]
audit job
Those of you who have been following the AGMA/NYCO rowdydow may be interested to hear that the labor union is also in touch with its members in regard to attempts at cost-cutting at the Met. La Cieca has learned from an AGMA member that Peter Gelb has recently written a letter to Met artists asking […]
hard labor
Earlier today, NYCO’s George Steel fired back in what is apparently escalating into a war of words with AGMA honcho Alan Gordon. In an email to “the [New York City] Opera family” obtained by parterre.com, Steel seeks “to address [AGMA’s] misleading statements” while reminding AGMA members that he and NYCO “remain committed for our part […]
a million here, a million there
Don’t go saying George Steel‘s opera company is broke, you hear?Â
mayday!
La Cieca has obtained a copy of the NYCO shop letter from AGMA:Â
agma “likely” to strike nyco
The American Guild of Musical Artists said in a memo to members that “given the changes that George Steel wants to make in our contract, members are advised that the possibility of a strike against New York City Opera is likely.” At issue is what AGMA characterizes as Steel’s intention to eliminate guarantees of work […]
magic to do
Articulate, awe-inspring, alliterative administrator The Man of Steel spoke yesterday to New York One, defining his vision for the mission of the New York City Opera: “Championing new repertoire and discovering old repertoire. And particularly promoting American operas and American opera singers and providing visionary new productions of standard repertoire. So it’s a very clear […]
endowment takes another hit
Bloomberg News (your go-to source for bad news about New York City Opera) today laments that the company has “once again reached deep into its endowment.” According to scribe Zinta Lundborg, that endowment has suffered perhaps irreversible shinkage, dwindling from a massive, bulging $51 million in 2001 to a puny, humiliating $3 million currently. Lundborg suggests […]
uprising at the koch?
La Cieca hears vague rumors from here and there that there something major is going to happen with New York CIty Opera this week, possibly as early as today. According to an insider over the weekend “wagons [were] circling,” perhaps in reaction to the admission that the company has spent down over 2/3 of its endowment in […]
lede buried; company to follow?
Remember a couple of weeks ago when La Cieca called that NYT story about a potential strike at the New York City Opera “the scariest Friday news dump ever?” Well, she was wrong, wrong, wrong. The winner and new bone-chilling champion of all Friday news dumps just sneaked into the Times online. (Those of you […]
back to the future
La Cieca hears that the Man of Steel‘s spring 2010 season will go something like this:Â
two weeks in another town
Those of you who may be toying with the idea of a trip to the city this fall to check out the New and Improved York City Opera may be interested to hear the performance schedule for the company’s fall season. Remember these dates are provisional they should give you an idea of how the repertory sorts out. […]
while the iron is cold?
In what might be the scariest Friday news dump ever, the New York Times calls a job action by AGMA against the New York City Opera “likely.” [NYT]
dangerous when dodecaphonic
Yes, La Cieca realizes it was all hashed out a week ago here in the blogosphere, but Daniel J. Wakin of the New York Times has finally got around to transcribing the New York City Opera’s press release about its new season. As you all know, the season opener will be Esther, starring Lauren Flanigan. […]
koch tease
La Cieca hears that the New York City Opera will present four five productions during their 2009-2010 season, including a new staging of Don Giovanni directed by David Christopher Alden and starring Daniel Okulitch (pictured). Revivals of “old” NYCO productions at The David H. Koch Theater include Weisgall’s Esther (with Lauren Flanigan), L’etoile, Partenope and […]
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
