passion
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NYCO
steel will say no to nyco
Okay, La Cieca’s going to commit and say that based on what hearsay she’s heard said thus far, George Steel is going to say, “Thanks but no thanks” to the NYCO. Why? Two reasons, La Cieca would say. 1. Whoever takes on the NYCO job, no matter how adventurous and no matter how well-connected, is […]
prepare yourself for a newsdump
He’s interested. He’s not interested. And yet, he’s still in the running. According to former NYCO honcho Mark Weinstein, “…the embattled company will appoint George Steel, the former director of Columbia University’s Miller Theater, to the [director] position in early January.” Need I add that Susan Baker hasn’t answered the phone in days? Now, La Cieca loves […]
mirror, mirror
According to Bloomberg News, George Steel is interested in running the New York City Opera. However, the situation is complicated by the fact that George Steel is not interested in running the New York City Opera. What is clear, though, is that La Cieca had the story first.
he or she?
Okay, cher public, you’ve heard the theories. Now it’s time for you to predict who’s getting the nod as new NYCO honcho/honchess.
she is city opera?
There’s a rumor that’s been sort of meandering around for the past few weeks in vague will o’ the wisp format concerning the New York City Opera. (As if anything about that company right now is anything but vague, but still…) So here goes. One of the restructuring models that La Cieca keeps hearing about […]
he is city opera?
UPDATE: La Cieca’s going to go out on a limb here and say that at the very least George Steel will be offered the direction of NYCO. Industry insiders are whispering that a certain impresario who recently upgraded his career from uptown new music maven to regional opera honcho may be about to prove that he is […]
i am not spartacus
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/rcmu5du2jkw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The troubled NYCO tries a new approach.
an original cc
Counter Critic eschews false modesty long enough to offer a proposal for the New York City Opera.
on festive occasions
“I’m also confident that both the long-overdue New York premiere of Daniel Catán’s sumptuous Florencia en el Amazonas and Spike Lee’s fiery new staging of The Gospel at Colonus—a retelling of the Sophocles in the form of a gospel church service—will continue to bring new visions to our audiences and new audiences to our vision. […]
kaiser to pick up pieces
Kennedy Center head Michael Kaiser will assist the New York City Opera in finding a new leader and scheduling a 2009-10 season following the departure of Gerard Mortier. [via AP]
mass distraction
La Cieca has just been informed that Boston Lyric Opera “is mere hours away” from announcing their new Director of Artistic Operations, Nicholas Russell (formerly of Glimmerglass Opera before the regime coup there). It should be noted that although Russell is “dall’ immondo sangue degl’inglesi dei scozie,” he is a naturalized U.S. citizen, so it’s […]
barihunk mountain
La Cieca hears that now that NYCO is relinquishing its commission of Charles Wuorinen‘s Brokeback Mountain, another opera company at Lincoln Center is interested in premiering the work, starring one or more of their stable of telegenic baritones. Perhaps in this version Jack and Ennis can meet at a honky-tonk called The Diamond Horseshoe?
symptom
Screenshot of the “Pressroom” page at the New York City Opera’s website, taken at 2:50 pm on November 11, November 10, 2008. Note the date of the most recent item. And this from the “About” page, same site, captured at 8:30 am, November 11:
color commentary
parterre.com editor Our Own JJ plays talking head with Brian Wise John Schaefer this afternoon circa 2:00 pm on WNYC. Topic for the day is the recent bombshell at NYCO. Let’s hope that in the hour or so before the show it doesn’t turn to be a literal bombshell, which at this writing about the only disaster the […]
always look on the bright side
As if to demonstrate that there are better ways to run an opera company than the NYCO’s ongoing fiasco, Fort Worth Opera announced today that they will present the world premiere of Before Night Falls, is by Jorge MartÃn in 2010. Darren K. Woods, the quiet genius who is general director of Fort Worth Opera, […]
mortierdammerung
Sadly, La Cieca, who foresaw the beginning, foresaw the end as well.
vorrei e non vorrei
Now, La Cieca asks you, cher public. Wouldn’t you think that someone as experienced in deconstructing Mozart as Gerard Mortier would find some new take on the role of the coy Zerlina, instead of all this “I would and then I waver, I tremble to depa-art” nonsense. Well, yes, you would, and so would La […]
point counterpoint
Cher public, who else but La Cieca brings you such in-depth arts coverage that you get not one but two reports from spies at the dress rehearsal of the Met’s new La Damnation de Faust ? After the jump, eyewitness accounts of the Lepagerie from Our Own Gualtier Maldè and Sanford.Â
20th century fox
Next week at The Morgan Library and Museum, New York City Opera General Manager-Designate Gerard Mortier will discuss his vision of opera. The lecture, entitled “The Excitement of 20th-Century Opera,” will focus on classic works composed by Claude Debussy, Leos Janácek, Olivier Messiaen, Karol Szymanowski, Mieczyslaw Weinberg, and others. Tickets for the program, scheduled for […]
NYCO not technically dead yet
So, this is what La Cieca gathers in the way of hearsay and rumor about the “future” of the New York City Opera. According to an NYCO insider, in the wake of La Cieca’s speculation that Gérard Mortier might not be taking on the NYCO job after all, “total chaos ensued,” spurring an emergency meeting […]
nyco staff gaze at foliage
At a time of year when most opera company employees are hectically rushing about producing opera, the administrative staff of the New York City Opera enjoyed a two-day “furlough” last week. Meanwhile, the company’s finance officials frantically passed the hat among “board members, private donors and other sources†to meet this week’s payroll. [via NYT]
she’s alive!
La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Dorothy Bishop returns to NYC with a revamped version of her opera/cabaret show “Viva la Diva” at Splash Bar on October 15 at 8:00 pm. As always, our own JJ directs the show. Dorothy’s Splash debut features new material, new costumes, new “Viva la Diva” dancing boys and (perhaps […]
NYCO torpedoes staffers; “pretty girl” rescued
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.” […]
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!
