Paul Kellogg to Retire
The New York City Opera announced that Paul Kellogg, its general and artistic director for the past decade, will step down at the close of the current season. Kellogg also will leave his post as artistic director of Glimmerglass Opera at the close of its season next summer.
The 68-year-old Kellogg will have run two opera companies for just short of 30 years. He leaves both companies in good financial shape and he will be with each of them long enough to train successors.
www.celebrityaccess.com/news/index-2212htm?number_displayed=10&class=Domestic¤t_time=112 10
Denver Gets a New Opera House
Opera Colorado has a new state-of-the-art venue, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The hall was built rather like a ship is put together in a bottle because the exterior walls of the 1908 Denver Civic Auditorium were left standing. The new 2,280-seat theater opened Sept. 10 with an all-star gala performance that was broadcast on radio and the Internet.
The house is named after Ellie Caulkins in recognition of her efforts as Denver’s first lady of opera for many years. Her family contributed $7 million to the project.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/music/article/0,1299,DRMN_54_4072756,00.html
www.operacolorado.org
Fauré Creates an Image
French composer Gabriel Fauré was always conscious of the dignity of his position as director of the Paris Conservatory. He did not earn enough to take a taxi all the way to work from home every day, so he did the next best thing: He rode the Métro from a stop near his home to one a few blocks from the school. From there, he took a cab and arrived in style.
Source: Philippe Fauré-Fremiet, “Gabriel Fauré”- Henriette Canter Interview, May, 1984.
Lyric Opera Gets a New Artistic Advisor
Norwegian casting and repertoire consultant Pal Christian Moe will assume the post of artistic advisor to the Chicago Lyric Opera, and expects to visit the Illinois city four times a year, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In the past, Moe has worked for Norwegian Opera, Deutsche Grammophon and the Paris Opera. Since becoming an independent consultant, he has been active with the Lille and Glyndebourne opera companies.
www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-0509290164sep29,1,6433726.story?coll=chi-leisure-utl 38
NEA Sponsoring Opera Tour
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced a new national initiative. “Great American Voices” will enable 24 American opera companies to perform opera and musical theatre at 39 military facilities across the country between October 2005 and August 2006.
Tickets to these events will be free and the artists who perform will engage in audience education for both adults and children.
www.nea.gov/news/news/05/GAVAnnounce.html 46
Germany Solves the Great Copyright Caper
German courts have ruled on the copyright issue between the Berlin Singakademie of and the Altstadtherbst Cultural Festival of Dusseldorf, according to the German Press Agency. The Singakademie reconstructed the score of Antonio Vivaldi’s opera Motezuma from a manuscript in a Berlin library and from other fragments.
The reconstructed score was published on the Internet, so when the Altstadtherbst Festival announced that they were performing it, the Singakademie went to court to assert its copyright. At first, a judge agreed with the academie, but now a court of appeals has allowed the Dusseldorf performance.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000100&sid=aok_7SwBB5eQ&refer=germany
http://www.wgms.com/index.php?nid=65&sid=299391
LA Opera Announces New Young Artist Program
The Flora L. Thornton Foundation has donated $2 million to Los Angeles Opera to fund the new Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. The new YAP will enable eight to 10 singers under the age of 30 to study voice, languages, acting and other disciplines essential to a singing career. Participants also will cover main-stage roles and even sing smaller parts. They will work with and be mentored by established artists performing at LA Opera. For more information, e-mail youngartists@laopera.com.
www.losangelesopera.com
Utah Symphony and Opera Lost Less Money than Expected
The Utah Symphony and Opera announced that it is ahead of schedule for its three-year financial recovery plan. At the end of the 2002-03 season, the company had a deficit of $1.8 million. The next year the shortfall was $1.6 million. The organizations expected a shortfall of $500,000 for the 2004-05 season, but thanks to successful fundraising and increased ticket sales, the season went into the red at only a little over $300,000. This coming season, Utah Opera will continue to economize, but it is now on a much more secure footing than before, says the Salt Lake Tribune.
http://sltrib.com
Philadelphia Orchestra Tunes Up Its Budget
Last season the Philadelphia Orchestra balanced its budget, marking the first time since the year 2000 that the group hasn’t ended its season showing a deficit. Major donors had suggested stronger control over expenses, said the orchestra, and when the donors were satisfied that this was being accomplished, they responded with more generous funding.
www.philorch.org
Hurricane Katrina Disperses Musicians
Members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra have spread out across the country to audition for jobs in other orchestras. Many of them lost homes and other possessions when they had to evacuate the city.
The LPO is currently attempting to reformulate itself in Nashville, Tenn., and will be giving concerts to raise money to insure its survival, according to Vermont’s Brattleboro Reformer.
www.reformer.com
