Saturday, January 14, 2017

So Much for My Favorite Candidate.

James Conlon's contract as Music Director of LA Opera has been renewed. The contract was going to expire next year, but will now run through the end of the 2020-21 season.

LA's gain, San Francisco's loss. Now I can start dreaming about more realistic future SFO music directors, such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Semyon Bychkov, Alan Gilbert (well, he is available...), etc.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Since Gilbert's stated desire is to conduct more opera, becoming MD of an opera company would be an advantageous move. I could also see him having a hand in varying the repertory a bit more.

John Marcher said...

Yes, LA's continued good fortune, SF's loss, but Gilbert would be an interesting choice as well.

Any clue on when SF will make a decision?

Lisa Hirsch said...

Cameron, yeah. Luisotti's particular talents must have played a big part in the extreme tilt to Italian over the last few seasons.

John, my theories on the timeline:

- Luisotti's last hurrah as MD will be the last Traviata this coming fall.
- After that, his responsibilities would be in orchestra upkeep (filling vacancies, working with CM on upcoming operas), perhaps working with incoming conductors, (maybe) influencing future repertory and singers.
- Unless someone will be acting as interim MD, they will want to have someone in place by September, 2018.

BUT Joshua's report on the press conference includes Shilvock saying something about the MD search being a wide, multiyear process. I didn't hear MS say anything like that, so I think Joshua must have asked it in advance or after the official close. He would have had the embargoed press release over at least part of the weekend, so had time for those sorts of questions.

So maybe it'll take longer.

This reminds me that I'd better read the press release in full. SFO has sometimes buried important news in them, like the two-sentence mention of the incoming Heggie opera in the press release about Gockley's retirement.

Lisa Hirsch said...

There is, of course, a VERY OBVIOUS person who could act as part-time MD for a year or two. He'll even be around for a nice chunk of time in 2018.

Lisa Hirsch said...

And we now know that Gilbert is headed back to Europe and (eventually) what sounds like a great job for him.