Pamela Rosenberg to the Philharmonie

Warm congratulations to Pamela Rosenberg
on being named administrative director
of the Berlin Philharmonic. Ms Rosenberg
certainly brought artistic reexamination
to the San Francisco Opera through her
conceptually brilliant "Animating Opera"
scheme. As I have written elsewhere, I
only wish that there had been a stronger
"Animating American Opera" component
to her concept.

I will assume that Ms Rosenberg's successor
David Gockley, from Houston, will move
quickly to commit the San Francisco Opera
company to performing one American opera
every season -- matching the commitment he
made in Houston, and the similar commitments
to American culture made in Washington, D.C.,
Los Angeles, and by the New York City Opera.
(How about it Baltimore? Why don't you join
the one American opera each season commitment
to American culture? Something other than
Hairspray?)

Now, I await the commitment to American opera
in American culture by the MET Opera.
A company that can ask Julie
Taymor to cut "The Magic Flute" to create a
more family- and American society- friendly
version of Mozart-Schikaneder, can also,
I believe, commit to joining the American
cultural mainstream in its regular, seasonal
production of American operas;
especially given that the MET produces
about 25 operas each and every season.

With thanks to Joshua Kosman
"S.F. Opera Director takes post in Berlin"
S.F. Chronicle
July 21, 2005















Herzog and Meuron, De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

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