The 10 worst press offices of 2017

It has been a while since we last published a list of the least helpful music and opera press offices and, with some satisfaction we can report improvements in four major institutions. The Vienna State Opera has become a model of cooperation (that may change under the incoming management) and the Kennedy Center has received staff upgrades from Chicago. The Boston Symphony now knows a news story from a hole in the ground and the Berlin Phil are totally on the ball. These four have lost their coveted places in the 2017 list of worst press offices.

On the debit side, the New York Philharmonic press office draws the 2017 wooden spoon for offering a Trumpist half-lie to our straightforward question, Bayreuth remains magnificently obstructive and the Met’s press operation still runs via the back passage of the New York Times.

So, here’s the 2017 Slipped Disc list of the worst press offices:

1 New York Philharmonic

Gold standard bad

2 Bayreuth Festival

Rhinegold bad

3 Metropolitan Opera

Plain bad

4 Opéra de Paris

Quoi? Vous voulez quoi, Monsieur?

5 Van Cliburn Competition

Slow, dumb and sometimes downright rude

6  Aix-en-Provence Festival

Please leave a message

7 La Monnaie, Brussels

Great website, no media initiative

8 Dutch National Opera

We’re very busy. We’ll contact you once the production is over

9 Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Geneva

We have absolutely no comment about anything. 

10 Teatro Real, Madrid

Siesta.

Now check out the 2017 list of the best press offices.