In case you missed it (although I don’t know how that’s even possible), there’s been a substantial fuss over the past several weeks surrounding Peter Gelb, the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera (Met), and his public brush war against criticism. Gelb lost; and just in case he didn’t realize just how big of a loss it was, the King of All Culture Media, Alex Ross, authored an article for the 5/23/2012 edition of The New Yorker that spells it out in no uncertain terms.
A Curious Start To The Met Negotiations
Given the mountain of negative publicity surrounding contentious labor negotiations at nonprofit performing arts organizations, it would seem that effort to avoid conflict within a broader volatile environment would be paramount for all parities. Nonetheless, The Metropolitan Opera (The MET) negotiations with three of its larger labor unions (orchestra musicians, singers, and stage crew) seems to be pursuing a different course. The New York Times published an article on 4/7/2014 by …