Michigan Opera Theatre announced today that its Principal Conductor Stephen Lord has resigned from the company, effective immediately. MOT accepted the resignation following public allegations of Lord’s past behavior, which do not align with the Company’s values and standards.
Stephen has had a long and successful relationship with Michigan Opera Theatre, and we appreciate his artistic leadership, especially in his last three years as Principal Conductor,” said MOT President and CEO Wayne S. Brown.
MOT’s 2019-20 season begins in Oct. 12 at the Detroit Opera House.
Opera Theatre of St Louis has also severed ties with Lord.
Eva Zöllner flies Lufthansa at least twice a month with her accordion. Today, returning home from Venice, she was refused boarding.
She was told today “you chose this line of work, you have to pay for the consequences” — this kind of rudeness is really really not necessary. Poor Eva was no doubt ready to cry – this is really not just a job for us!
Zoe Martlew is a cellist who specialises in contemporary music.
But even she was thwarted by Juliana Hodkinson’s noise piece Scrape for cello with metal plate, playback track and sound diffusion, performed at Dark Music Days festival in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Some truly embarrassing video of the humble couple.
You don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to. Excess has its own integrity.
‘I would be happy if Madonna wanted to sing at the San Carlo with our orchestra. I officially invite her to Naples.’
Purchia added: ‘ I am a Madonna fan, she fascinates me as an artist and a woman. I care about San Carlo first as a historical asset, a common heritage, of immense and unique value. I have a responsibility.’
ENO has issued a statement about a former guest conductor, Stephen Lord, who has been accused in the US of sexual harrassment.
ENO is horrified to learn that allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment have been made against a freelance artist whilst he was employed by the company several years ago.
ENO has a zero tolerance approach to any form of misconduct such as those that have been alleged, and are committed to providing a safe and respectful workplace for all. This is evidenced by our Dignity at Work and Code of Conduct policies.
We take any such allegations extremely seriously and will offer our full support to any investigation that may follow these allegations.
Lord, 70, is an American who conducted Norma in February and March 2016. He is not a regular in Europe nor, according to Operabase, one of the more sought-after maestros in the US. His career highlight was being music director of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis from 1991 to 2017. His involvement at ENO came about, apparently, through its artistic associate Matthew Epstein, who says: ‘Stephen’s influence is very strong. If he tells me someone is good, I follow him. He is pretty much infallible, with one of the best sets of ears I know.’
Lord is now the subject of an investigation by Basil Considine at Twin-Cities Arts Reader in which a number of singers come forward to accuse him of pressuring them to have sex with him. He is also, by his own admission, a supporter of Matthew Stump, a bass-baritone whose legal bills he paid after Stump admitted sexual aggression against a colleague.
Osmo Vänskä, who has given the last decade of his life to saving the Minnesota Orchestra got a 31 percent pay rise in 2016/17.
He earned all of $981,630, which still keeps him way out of the yacht-owning class and testifies to his admirable priorities.
Another maestro with much to his credit is Manfred Honeck at Pittsburgh. He was paid $978,542, some way off the top ten.
Are women getting equal pay? Apart from Marin Alsop, the only female conductor in the major league is JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic since 1999. She took home $352,500.
In Drew McManus’s annual survey of US maestro earnings, Gustavo Dudamel has lagged for some years behind the plutocrats of the podium, the ones who earn several millions dollars each year for 14 or 14 weeks work.
Dudamel has been content so far to hover around the million-dollar mark at the LA Phil, picking up Hollywood gigs to pay for any spare villas and unforseen extras.
No more.
As of Drew’s new list, out today, Dudamel tops the list of US earners with $3,010,589 in declared audits for 2016/17. He can now afford the yacht.
Second is Riccardo Muti in Chicago with $2,716,488. Third is MTT in San Fran.
The top ten:
1 Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic: $3,010,589
2. Muti, Chicago Symphony: $2,716,488
3. Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony: $2,492,623
4. Van Zweden Dallas Symphony: $2,206,908
5. Alan Gilbert, New York Philharmonic: $1,645,865
6. Yannick, Philadelphia Orchestra: $1,424,000
7. Andris Nelsons, Boston Symphony: $1,395,161
8. Franz Welser-Möst, Cleveland Orchestra: $1,319,353
9. David Robertson, Saint Louis Symphony: $1,040,317
10. Marin Alsop, Baltimore Symphony: $987,667
The Curtis Institute has issued the following tribute to Naomi Graffman, who died yesterday aged 90.
In Memoriam: Naomi Graffman
Curtis mourns the loss of Naomi Graffman, who passed away on June 17 at age 90 after a long illness. The wife of our longtime piano faculty and former president, Gary Graffman, Mrs. Graffman was a cherished member of our community and played a vital part at Curtis during the 20 years of her husband’s leadership. A gifted writer and editor with a flair for organization and a wonderful sense of humor, she made important and enduring contributions to the school, notably in publications and the library. Above all, she is remembered fondly by alumni for her faithful service behind the samovar at Wednesday afternoon tea. “Naomi was the heart and soul of Curtis for two decades,” said Roberto Díaz, Curtis’s president, who succeeded Mr. Graffman in 2006. “She offered her famous homemade brownies at tea, and delighted in hearing about students’ daily lives and musical milestones. She was an incomparable partner to Gary and friend to the school, and she will be deeply missed by us all.”
Mrs. Graffman’s connection with Curtis dated from her childhood. She was the daughter of a Curtis-trained composer, Max Helfman (’32), who commuted from their New York home to study with Rosario Scalero. She once recalled visiting Curtis as a young child, standing in the room that would later bear the Graffmans’ name: “I remember the Common Room with awe, because of the ceiling. … When people used to ask me when I was about three years old, ‘Where is your Daddy,’ I would say, ‘Daddy has gone to Philadelphia to teach Mr. Scalero.’” As a young woman, she worked in concert management at Columbia Artists, and met Mr. Graffman, then a rising concert pianist, through her work. For more than 65 years she was his partner, collaborator, and editor. The Graffmans’ longstanding commitment to Curtis was honored in 2006 with the dedication of the Gary and Naomi Graffman Common Room in the school’s main building; and the creation of the Gary and Naomi Graffman Scholarship Fund, which provides need-based student financial assistance.
The NY Phil conductor and his wife Aaltje talk to CBS 60 Minutes about the home they created for their adult son with autism.
When he was five, they told us he would never be able to live independently,’ they relate.
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra Board President Richard Hendricks and Executive Director Mary Steffek Blaske announced today that Arie Lipsky has stepped down from his current role as Music Director and Conductor of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Lipsky joined the organization as Music Director in 2000 and has served as conductor for 19 seasons. Guest conductors have been secured for the A²SO’s 2019-2020 season and a national search for a new music director will be led by a search committee.
‘We are heartbroken for Arie that his very difficult health struggles in the last six months have led him to this decision,’ said A²SO Board President Richard Hendricks. ‘His resignation was yet another act of leadership, and we accepted his decision in that same spirit. We owe him our sincerest gratitude for the amazing work he has done over the years to elevate our Symphony to its current highest-ever-quality, both in its music-making and in the breadth and depth of its educational enrichment and community engagement.’
