Just in: Canadian Opera is beheaded
OperaMessage from the board chair:
Sent on behalf of Jonathan Morgan, Chair, COC Board of Directors…
Good afternoon,
As a valued member of the COC community, I am writing to provide regarding our leadership.
Perryn Leech will be moving on from his role as General Director of the COC by mutual agreement. Effective immediately, David C. Ferguson will take on the role of Interim General Director. We thank Perryn Leech for his service to our organization over the last three years.
David brings a strong record of accomplishment and commitment to the COC and will ensure stability and continuity of our operations as our search for a permanent General Director is underway. During this transition period and beyond, we remain equally focused on maintaining artistic excellence and fostering an environment of creativity, respect and accountability.
Our mission to serve as a world-class incubator of Canadian opera remains as strong as ever. On behalf of the COC, thank you for your continued support and loyalty. We look forward to welcoming you at a show in the near future.
Should you have any questions about this update, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Effective immediately usually means: fired. So does ‘by mutual agreement’.
But why? No-one’s saying.
Leech joined the COC in 2021, replacing Alexander Neef, who went to Paris. Leech had previously run Houston Grand Opera for almost a decade.
It’s a reflection of our times that Ferguson’s background is in finance, not the arts.
Ferguson is a board member – hand on the tiller.
“As a valued member of the COC community, I am writing to provide regarding our leadership.”
Thinks very highly of himself…
Something obviously was left out of the quote, but I am sure that the “valued member” refers to the recipient, not the writer.
The whole sentence is illiterate. I am writing to provide — where’s the noun? To say nothing of the dangling modifier with which he opens up.
‘Pompous git’ comes to mind!
This is a real pity. Perryn Leech is a brilliant and proven leader. Even in impossible circumstances. Didn’t he get Houston to have a season after a hurricane killed its venue?
Yes, the temporary venue was called the Resilience Theater, which the Opera put up in short order at the city’s convention center when their venue was severely damaged by flooding. He also guided Houston Grand Opera through the pandemic. Pretty shocked to read this.
My favourite quote about people (usually men) leaving (usually) high powered jobs ‘ XY is is leaving after his distinguished time with us to ‘spend more time with his family’!
Let’s play COC trivia….
Was it
A. Inappropriate behaviour with subordinates
B. Bullying, arrogant and toxic behaviour
C. A more than 5 million dollar deficit the board knew nothing about till this week
D. all of the above.
All of the above of course!
Perryn was just another superior-acting, elitist operator. Very much in the Anthony Freud school of leadership
The Leech has now been chased out of Houston and Toronto. Make no mistake: where there’s smoke…
And to think he was rumored in the running for Chicago!!!