Met parts company with its press director
mainThe Metropolitan Opera is parting company with Peter E. Clark, director of its ineffectual press office. Clark is taking early retirement in March after 30 years at the Met.
Never a proactive press director, he is not personally to blame for the company’s negative media profile.
His departure is unlikely to get the Met off the world’s worst press offices list.
This is not good news. He was/is the best.
Peter has always been a thoughtful, professional, and helpful contact and press director with a staff that is a pleasure to work with. He’s had a very good run but I’ll certainly miss him, too.
They all go for younger ones – agressiv marketing people who can sell anything without real deep connection for opera and classical music. Headlines are all which does count! Same procedure as everywhere…see politics etc.
Martin Bernheimer: I agree with you, and (as usual) disagree with Lebrecht (quelle surprise)
Then why do you keep using Slipped Disc? Get a life, Alison.
Oh, excuse me, I didn’t realize this was a school for 12-year-old girls.
Cunt
I didn’t realize that retirement in your mid-sixties after 30 years of service was considered “early”.
In the U.S. it is, alas.
I know neither the man nor have seen much of his work. But I was always told by one of the UK’s finest Press heads that the mark of a good PR Chief is less what he gets into the media than what he manages to keep out. In that respect – and given the mauling the Met has had in recent years – the plaudits might seem somewhat overrated! Is thoughtfulness, professionalism and good relations with critics enough these days?
Just read this. What an unfair and inaccurate assessment of Peter Clark. When I was highly paced at New York magazine in the 80’s and 90’s, the Met was ALWAYS an editorial presence, thank much to Peter’s excellent “handling” of me for great exposure. He made difficult and daunting easy and natural……………