A Remaining Question

If you read through the comments at the NY Times on either of the two articles about ONGate and over at Anne Midgette's blog posting, you'll see a couple of thoughts surfacing with some regularity:

• There's an inherent conflict of interest when somebody at ON reviews the Met.
• The Met is paying ON's bills and shouldn't have to deal with critics from within.

Anne herself makes the point that the second of the above is just wrong: the Metropolitan Opera Guild, which publishes ON, is a fundraiser for the Met. It contributes money to the Met, rather than taking money from the Met.

Even more interestingly, the Metropolitan Opera Guild and the Metropolitan Opera Association are two separate legal entities. 

• Metropolitan Opera Guild. CEO Richard J. Miller, Board Chairman Winthrop Rutherfurd, Jr. The Board has a number of well-known members, including retired singers such as Rise Stevens, Martina Arroyo, and Frederica von Stade. Total employees: 44 full- and part-time. Total revenue for the last year reported: around $12 million
• Metropolitan Opera Association. General Manager Peter Gelb. Board Chair Ann Ziff (she is on the Guild Board of Directors). Total employees: around 860, according to the Met web site. Total revenue for the last year I can find: around $271 million, a large multiple of the Met Guild's revenue.

Given this, why does Peter Gelb get to boss Opera News around? 

Information in the bullets above from GuideStar, except where I note otherwise. The Met's 990 is long and interesting. Yes, anyone can register and use GuideStar's resources.