Heads keep rolling in New York

Thomas Campbell delivered record footfall as director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, up 40 percent. But the deficit kept rising so the board fired him yesterday after seven years.

Jed Bernstein was fired ten months ago as president of the Lincoln Center after promoting a staff member with whom he was having a private relationship.

Matthew Van Besien quit the New York Philharmonic six weeks ago, saying he wanted a more audacious job. Insiders say he couldn’t face the organisation’s coming upheavals and got out while the going was good. Two NY Phil v-ps resigned around the same time.

New York is a tough environment where bottom-line is all and boards act scrupulously in the short-term interest.

One man bucks the trend. Peter Gelb has presided over a collapsing attendance and rising deficit at the Metropolitan Opera. He’s still there after ten and a half years.