The Met finally fills key post
OperaThe Metropolitan Opera has named its next artistic administrator, a position controversially vacated by Michael Heaston two years ago.
Heaston had been hauled in as successor to Jonathan Friend who covered the role for 35 James Levine years.
The new art admin is to be Brian Speck, former head of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. The post is poorly paid.
Heaston is still there….Speck works under him.
Anyone might be forgiven for not understanding (or caring) about the Met hierarchy and who reports to whom.
Increasingly, under Gelb, the staff has become overwhelmingly bloated with Assistant General Managers, Directors, etc.
All this, and the Met still can’t produce an interesting season or attract a (non-comped) audience.
Singers, musicians…necessary evils to PG.
A world-class opera house? I think not.
This is mortifying for the Met yet very true as they remain thinly narcissistic, riding the fading crest into the sea of past successes.
The central issue is that nobody “knows voices” anymore at the Met. One look at Yannick’s “masterclass” was a HIDEOUS sign of the newly educated set. No concept of solid technique whatsoever which is not only a poor reflection on him but perilous for the singer who has the most demanding rigors to contend with.
Diane Zola—not Heaston.
( old foogy voice): ” when I was coming up there WERE No artistic admistrators . Got along just fine without them! ( what are they supposed to do again?) And they are poorly paid to do it …whatever it is.
Back in the days of Guilio Gatti-Cassaza
Actually, in the age of mostly absent jet-setting music directors and feckless artists agents, a knowledgeable artistic administrator is worth their weight in gold.
The others are mostly just ca-ca, sucking outsized salaries and benefits.
Do believe the first one was Robert Herman in about 1963. Ish.
I’m guessing that was before they had over a thousand employees (not including their artists) and a $300,000,000 budget.
Gelb hires someone who has never held the position before. Speck, who is a fine man in his area is a young talent developer and is qualified to run the Lindemann program there, not to be the talent wrangler on the big stage. He’s now facing a huge cost of living increase and that salary range will barely cover his monthly bills after taxes. Gelb, an uneducated man who could not make it through school andnthen became Ronald Wilford’s errand boy worse to the level of his own incompetence. He video taped Karajan in a deal that cut the orchestra out until they found out about it and then held Vladimir Horowitz’s drool cup for a few of his last years. He’s been in an intellectual job for years now and has made a mess of it. The MET has never been worse off than under his leadership. He’s highly overpaid and frankly should have been shown the door years ago. I feel sorry fort this young man who has taken Friend’s job. He will have dumb “big brother” watching over everything he does.
These positions used to be given to people given with experience (on both US and European continents, knowledge, contacs with all major opera companies around the globe. The initial era of Gelb was relatively functional, because there were still in the house “old experienced foxes” who knew how to do the jobs (since Gelb does not, not only not having any appropriare experience, or education in this field; his daddy’s influence & money got him the job, but not the smarts). Now many the old pro’s died, or are retired and are being replaced by a huge power influx from Texas state, which is known for its money power, but either Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio houses did not produce for ages productions that would interest out of Texas state/or US to fly and visit; or non US singers being eager to come and sing in those productions. Now that all those “old pros” are gone the true Gelb reign is on for the last 3-4 years with major nose dives for the box offices. Gelb’s prediction to increase sales by producting contemporary opera does not seem so far becoming true, more the opposite. But look people are still dancing on the upper decks as they did on the Titanic….
Mmm, I think there may have been some other reason that attendance fell during the past three years …
Zola left suddenly. Michael Heaston replaced her. Michael Heaston is still in post. Paul Hopper left to become Casting Director at LA Opera. Brian Speck replaces him.
Not that hard. Hope this helps.
Speck replaces Hopper, who replaced retired Rosenberg after decades. It’s not rocket science, or confusing — unless you want/need/pretend
it to be.
Sorry, 1953. But I believe the title was a lot later.
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/21/arts/robert-herman-66-ex-manager-of-greater-miami-opera-troupe.html
This is correct. Also correct is that all 3 men- Heaston, Hopper, and Speck – are complete idiots who can be blamed for terrible (and crooked) casting of smaller roles and covers. Strange how all of Heaston’s BFFs end up with roles each year…
120k a year for that job is WILD. He’s basically doing Lenore Rosenberg’s job and it was her ENTIRE life. I never saw her outside the theater because she rarely was. It’s a HUGE job. Every secondary role AND covers. THOUSANDS of roles. Chorus casting. Children casting. When you’re not in the theater, you’re traveling to find singers. One can’t live in NY on 120k. Unbelievable. Should be twice that just for starting.
You must not live in NYC.