Silver City Daily Press
Silver City, NM
July, 2025
Friday, August 15, 2025
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Belated Museum Monday
Medieval stone doorway with painting beyond
Philadelphia Museum of Art
April, 2025
Virgin and Child Enthroned with a Servite Friar and Angels
Pietro Lorenzetti, early 14th centur
Philadelphia Museum of Art
April, 2025
Friday, August 08, 2025
More About the San Francisco Opera Archive
War Memorial Opera House
Not the actual site of the Archive
Earlier this year, San Francisco Opera's performance archive went back on line after an upgrade to modern technology. An anonymous donor provided funding for the upgrade.
San Francisco Opera provided some addition information to me. The donor's gift, of $1 million, came in the middle of 2024, and provides support in multiple areas:
- The new Performance Archive Database.
- The migration/digitization of at-risk legacy A/V formats that date from the 1970s-1990s/early 2000s.
- The Oral History Program, done in collaboration with the Oral History Center at UC Berkeley.
- The Archive more generally given that it takes a chunk of archivist Barbara Rominski's time to make the above happen.
Of the gift and the donor, Barbara Rominski said "I can’t begin to express just how grateful I am for this donor and their commitment to the Company, and particularly the Archives. Through our conversations over the past years, they have really listened and understood how urgent it is to care for the items already in the archival collections, but that we also have a responsibility/role to play in creating content that captures the people of the Company and their stories, not just the artifacts left behind."
Wednesday, August 06, 2025
New General Director at Opera Parallèle
Press release from the company, to which I will add that Tod Brody, now the executive director at the Marin Symphony, was Opera Parallèle's general director for several years before Nicole Paiement added the position to artistic director.
SAN FRANCISCO (July 22, 2025) — The Opera Parallèle Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Daniel Harvey as the company’s next Executive Director, effective August 1, 2025. Harvey, a highly successful and respected Bay Area arts administrator with a portfolio of more than 14 years of effective non-profit management credentials, first joined Opera Parallèle in 2017 and at present, serves as the company’s Artistic Producer & Community Director. His selection is the result of a competitive national search.
In his new capacity as Executive Director, Daniel Harvey will lead the nationally renowned opera company in partnership with Founder and Artistic Director, Nicole Paiement, who, after five years, relinquishes her dual role as Artistic & General Director. Harvey will report directly to the Opera Parallèle Board of Directors and will steer the company’s strategic direction while overseeing the development, marketing/PR, finance, administration and community engagement departments.
Peggy Otum, Opera Parallèle Board Chair-elect said, “Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone as Opera Parallèle enters its 16th season with a restructured leadership model. As the next Executive Director, Daniel, with his expertise and understanding of the arts landscape, will collaborate closely with Nicole Paiement, who continues her visionary role as founder and artistic director. Together, this dynamic management team—enhanced by award-winning Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel—is poised to propel the company to new artistic heights. The Board is confident that Daniel’s thoughtful guidance, vision and strong business values will contribute to Opera Parallèle’s continued success. We look forward to working with Daniel.”
Daniel Harvey commented, “It is a distinct privilege and honor to be selected as the next Executive Director at Opera Parallèle, a company that has been my artistic home for the past eight years. I have been fortunate to grow, personally and professionally, alongside OP during this time of bold innovation and remarkable boundary-pushing creativity. Supporting the visionary work of my esteemed colleagues, Nicole and Brian, and the remarkable artists we bring together continues to be a source of deep inspiration. I look forward to building on the strong local and national partnerships I have helped forge, as we further expand OP’s presence and impact in the Bay Area and nationwide.”
“This moment comes at a time of significant challenge for the arts,” Harvey continued, “but the drive to create meaningful work that reflects our world—and to offer spaces of joy, reflection, and connection—feels more vital to me than ever. I wish to express my gratitude to the Board for their confidence in my ability to lead the company with Nicole, and to acknowledge the extraordinary work of my predecessors, the OP staff, board, and enthusiastic donors whose collective dedication and creativity have laid a strong foundation for our future.”
Nicole Paiement said, “Daniel Harvey embodies the values and forward-thinking spirit that Opera Parallèle stands for. His multi-faceted experience with the company, his success in building deep and meaningful community relationships and his exceptional administrative skills will ensure OP’s continued creative excellence. I am excited by this new chapter for the company and am confident that together, we will lead Opera Parallèle into a vibrant and sustainable future. I would also like to commend the Board for selecting Daniel as it underscores the company’s commitment to fostering leadership from within and maintaining its innovative edge in the opera world.”
About Daniel Harvey
Daniel Harvey brings over 14 years of experience in artistic, administrative, and production roles to his new position as Executive Director of Opera Parallèle, building on his eight years of work as a key staff member with the organization. Most recently serving as Artistic Producer & Community Director, Harvey has played a central role in shaping and expanding OP’s identity as a champion of contemporary opera—pushing the boundaries of how opera is created, experienced, and shared.
In collaboration with Founding Artistic Director Nicole Paiement and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, Daniel Harvey has been instrumental in developing national partnerships and co-productions, helping secure presentations of OP’s innovative work with companies such as Cal Performances, Portland Opera, Hawai’i Opera Theatre, Opera Omaha, and Utah Opera. These efforts have not only expanded OP’s national reach but also established new revenue streams and important long-term institutional relationships. In the Bay Area, he has led collaborations with the California Academy of Sciences, YBCA, KQED, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, and the Bayview Opera House.
In his role as Community Director, Harvey spearheaded the redesign of OP’s community programming aligning it with civic practice models under the banner of The Bullhorn, including the creation of Expansive, a bold showcase of transgender classical artists, now in its fourth year in partnership with The Transgender District and the American Conservatory Theater. His work in this area has attracted new funding for the organization and helped redefine what it means for OP to serve, reflect, and engage with its community in meaningful ways.
A trained set and costume designer with a degree from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia, Harvey approaches his work with the eye of an artist and the discipline of a producer. His work at OP has included overseeing production budgets, internal operations, and fostering a supportive, values-driven workplace culture.
Just a Reminder
Photo by Lisa Hirsch
The San Francisco Symphony, which bills itself as one of the most innovative orchestras in the world, came up with this for its opening gala:
Jaap van Zweden conductor
Yuja Wang piano
San Francisco Symphony
JOHN ADAMS Short Ride in a Fast Machine
PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
OTTORINO RESPIGHI Pines of Rome
Because there's nothing that says "innovative" like performing Pines of Rome for the third time since 2022.
Furthermore, here's a list of the composers they're performing in 2025-26 and the number of works by each.
Key: light green background is dead men, one of whom, Ellington, is Black. Pink background is dead women. Dark green is living men, several of whom are men of color. Blue is living women.
Of the 49 composers above, 46 are men. Eight of the men are alive; the other 38 are dead. There are works by three women, of whom one has been dead for a few hundred years, while the other two are alive. Two of the deceased men are American (Ellington, Gershwin) and several of the deceased spent a significant amount of time in the U.S. (Bartok, Korngold, Rachmaninoff, and Hindemith, of whom the first three died in the United States).
There's nothing that says "innovative" like a season with 53 works by dead white men and 12 works by everybody else. I'm reminded of the season that had four works by MTT and 1 by a living woman, or maybe it was 2 by living women.
I'm sure we can expect an onslaught of Bernstein, Copland, and other dead American men in 2026-27. Maybe SFS will take a look at the NY Phil's Project 19 and pick up a few works by living women commissioned by that orchestra.
Tuesday, August 05, 2025
Recent Articles
I've published a couple of articles in SFCV that I never posted specifically about:
- Emma McNairy Artist Spotlight ("Emma McNairy is Armed With a New Voice and Ready for Wozzeck"), July, 2025
- Three Opera Singers on How They Built Their Careers, featuring Leandra Ramm, Chung-Wai Soong, and Alex Boyer, from May, 2025
- New Grass Valley Concert Venue, July, 2025
Monday, August 04, 2025
Museum Mondays
David Ghirlandaio
Virgin and Child, with Saints Apollonia and Sebastian, 1490s
Philadelphia Museum of Art
April, 2025
Friday, August 01, 2025
Eroica Award to Christian Rudolf Riedel
From MOLA: An Association of Music Performance Librarians, comes the news that they've awarded their 2025 Eroica Award to Christian Rudolf Riedel, an editor at Breitkopf & Härtel, the publisher. Their press release says:
MOLA: An Association of Music Performance Librarians is pleased to present the 2025 Eroica Award for Outstanding Service to Music to editor Christian Rudolf Riedel at its 43rd annual conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Christian Riedel has set the gold standard in editorial excellence for decades,” said Christopher Blackmon, president of MOLA and senior librarian of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. “Defined by his many years of experience as a musician and a devoted scholar, Christian’s editorial work displays a deep respect for composers and a thorough understanding of what librarians and musicians need to perform their best. On behalf of all of us at MOLA, we are thrilled to honor him with the 2025 Eroica Award for Outstanding Service to Music.”
MOLA is the premier professional association for music performance librarians who acquire, prepare, catalogue and maintain music for their institutions. With more than 550 members, the international nonprofit represents 347 organizations, including 255 orchestras, 40 opera and ballet companies, 40 music academies, 8 professional bands and ensembles across the world.
Riedel has worked for more than 30 years in the editorial department at Breitkopf & Härtel in Wiesbaden, Germany, where he supervised the first critical edition of Beethoven’s symphonies, numerous volumes of the Sibelius Complete Edition, and other major orchestral works. His own editions of orchestral works by Mozart, Beethoven, Dvořák, Mendelssohn, Lalo, Robert Schumann, and Mahler are widely respected for being source-critical and practical-use driven.
In recent years, Riedel has received the Presto Music Award for his editions of Mahler Symphony No. 4 (2020) and Symphony No. 9 (2024). He is currently serving as project manager and editor for “Gustav Mahler — The Symphonies” edition, despite retiring from his position as in-house editor.
In a video, Riedel reflected on what receiving the 2025 Eroica Award means to him.
“It makes me happy and proud at the same time,” Riedel said. “Happy because I’ve learned so much from this helpful organization, MOLA, and proud to be the first to receive the award as somebody who serves the music from the publishing side. Outstanding service to music often happens quietly and without applause, but with great care and utmost dedication. That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do as an editor for quite a while already, and it’s the daily work of my dear MOLA colleagues — unheroically heroic as they do it, without any fuss.”
Elena Lence Talley, past president of MOLA and principal librarian of the Kansas City Symphony, had nothing but praise for Riedel’s longstanding partnership with performance librarians around the world.
“Christian’s influence on orchestral music is profound,” Talley said. “In addition to his editorial expertise, he has been in the vanguard of fostering and strengthening the collaboration between music publishers and performance librarians. He has been a friend to MOLA for many years and was one of the first to take part in the MOLA/Publisher Joint Committee. He has attended MOLA conferences since 2004 and has been featured in numerous conference sessions. His impact will continue to shape the music we perform and share for generations.”
Nick Pfefferkorn, managing and publishing director of Breitkopf & Härtel, described his colleague as a visionary editor.
“Since he first joined Breitkopf & Härtel music publishing house, Christian Rudolf Riedel — or just Rudolf, as we call him — has edited over 30 major works in Urtext or Critical editions,” Pfefferkorn said. “He saw the need and value of replacing old and outdated editions long before other publishers or editors even began to think about the term ‘Urtext.’ It is due to his devoted work as both editor and foremost as an experienced musician and scholar, that today Breitkopf & Härtel’s Orchestra Library not only consists of hundreds of scholarly edited editions but the catalogs of various other publishers too.”
Most days, even in retirement, Riedel continues to work with Mahler’s music.
“Rudolf is still coming to the office on a 4-day basis, but everyone can assume that he is thinking about and working on Mahler 24/7,” Pfefferkorn added. “To paraphrase Mahler: ‘His work is like the universe, it contains everything.’ Christian Riedel embodies the ideals of MOLA’s Eroica Award for his quiet, passionate and decades-long service and commitment to music and musicians around the globe.”
Riedel is the fourth recipient of the Eroica Award for Outstanding Service to Music. Past recipients include conductor James Conlon (2024), conductor JoAnn Falletta (2023), and violinist Jennifer Koh (2022).
The award honors individuals who inspire MOLA members through advocacy, artistic excellence, or leadership. Recipients may include performers, scholars, editors, or anyone who exemplifies inclusion, mentorship, scholarship, or innovation in any facet of the music world.
Learn more about MOLA at mola-inc.org. Visit breitkopf.com to see more of Christian Rudolf Riedel’s projects.
About Christian Rudolf Riedel
Since joining Breitkopf & Härtel as orchestra editor in 1988, this distinguished music professional has contributed significantly to musical scholarship, currently serving as project manager and editor for the prestigious “Gustav Mahler — The Symphonies” edition project. Born in Leipzig in 1952, his journey through music began with conducting studies in Leipzig, Weimar and St. Petersburg — working with Kurt Masur and Arvid Jansons — complemented by masterclasses in Weimar, Szombathely and Tanglewood. His conducting posts in Eisenach, Ulm and Mainz led to his appointment as Artistic Director of the Merck Darmstadt Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, where he thoughtfully shaped the ensemble’s repertoire through revivals of classical works alongside premieres of contemporary compositions. Alongside his performance career, he has taught at the Franz Liszt Hochschule Weimar and the Peter Cornelius Conservatory in Mainz, whilst also providing guidance as harpsichordist and pianist at various vocal master classes.
Music librarians rock; they are vital to the functioning of musical institutions everywhere. I wrote about them in SFCV last year.
Monday, July 28, 2025
Friday, July 25, 2025
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
More on the NY Times Bad News
Hat tip to Steve Smith for pointing me to Hell Gate's reporting on the NY Times arts criticism news. Hell Gate reports the following:
According to Lachlan Cartwright, the new roles offered to the four were as follows: culture section correspondent roles for [Jon] Pareles and [Jesse] Green, an editing role for [Margaret] Lyons if she relocates from Chicago to New York, and an option to join the obituary desk for [Zachary] Woolfe.
Read the whole Hell Gate article, really.
Monday, July 21, 2025
Museum Mondays
Diana and the Stag
Automaton, c. 1620
Joachim Friess
Metropolitan Museum of Art
April, 2025
Friday, July 18, 2025
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Bad News from the New York Times
The New York Times has decided to "reassign" several members of its arts criticism staff to what they are calling "new roles." This news was published yesterday in the Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
The critics in question are:
- Margaret Lyons, television critic
- Jon Pareles, pop/rock music critic
- Jesse Green, theater critic
- Zachary Woolfe, classical music critic
No specifics have yet been announced, beyond stating that the four will be "taking on new roles, and we will be conducting a search for critics on their beats in the weeks to come," according to Variety's quotation of the memo that has circulated at the Times.
Jon Pareles, who has been on this beat since 1988, is a legend in music journalism. Zachary Woolfe has been an extremely able chief classical music critic, a sharp-eared reviewer and graceful writer about all things opera and classical music. Will Robin, who has written for the Times over the last decade or so, writes in his newsletter about Woolfe and what he's done for classical music criticism at the Times.
It is extremely difficult to imagine who might replace Woolfe and what skills they might bring to the table that he doesn't have. What is the problem that the Times is trying to solve, here?
My best guess is that it's a combination of money and clicks: analytics programs tell the paper how many views, presumably corresponding to readers, each article has. If classical music reviews, features, and interviews aren't meeting some unknown standard, well, do they need this coverage in its current format? Do they need a classical music staff at all? (Again, what person or presentation of journalism about classical music do they think will better what Woolfe is doing?)
As far as reassignment goes, classical music critics have specific knowledge about music and musical institutions that is hard earned, through education and experience, besides being good journalists. For the Times to move a writer off the classical beat is to lose that knowledge and experience. And I can't help but think of the San Jose Mercury News reassigning Richard Scheinin, an expert writer on both classical music and jazz, to real estate.
Elsewhere:
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Opera San José Resident Artists, 2025-26
Opera San José has announced its 2025-26 resident artists. I'm familiar with two them: Nicole Koh, who was a delightful Papagena in OSJ's Magic Flute last year and Courtney Miller, who was terrific in Pocket Opera's recent, superb run of Kirke Mechem's Tartuffe. I'm sure the other artists will be excellent as well - congratulations to all!
Joanne Evans, mezzo-soprano
London-born mezzo-soprano Joanne Evans is a graduate of the 2023 Merola Opera Program and the 2024 Académie of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, where she was awarded Le Prix des Amis for Voice. In the 2024–25 season, she joined the Ravinia Steans Music Institute as a fellow before she traveled to Aldeburgh to participate in the Britten Pears Young Artist Program for contemporary composition. She also attended the bel canto Voice Academy at Fondation des Treilles and performed the role of Flora in La Traviata with both Annapolis Opera and Berkshire Opera Festival. A 2022 Vocal Fellow at the Music Academy of the West, Evans performed the role of Olga in Eugene Onegin and won the Marilyn Horne Song Competition. That same year, she took first place in the Handel Aria Competition and was a Boston District winner in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She is a recipient of a Career Bridges grant and has earned additional awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation and the Premiere Opera Foundation. In addition to her performance work, Evans is the co-founder of Loam Music, an artistic partnership with singer and conductor Micah Gleason that creates semi-immersive musical experiences.
Emily Michiko Jensen, soprano
Praised by ArtsImpulse Boston for her “theatrical instincts and intriguingly versatile instrument,” Japanese American soprano Emily Michiko Jensen joins Opera San José as an Artist-in-Residence for the 2025–26 season. This June, Jensen returned to her signature role as Mimì in La Bohème with the Opera Company of Middlebury. In 2024, she made both her role and house debut as Mimì with Hawaii Opera Theatre and performed Musetta in La Bohème with the Borderland Arts Foundation’s La Frontera Opera. An alumna of the prestigious Emerging Artists Program at Boston Lyric Opera, she covered the title role in Madama Butterfly during its 2023–24 season. She is a recipient of a Career Grant from the Olga Forrai Foundation. Additional recent credits include covering the roles of Tosca, Angel More in The Fiery Angel, and Susan B. Anthony in The Mother of Us All at Chautauqua Opera and performing First Lady while covering Pamina in Die Zauberflöte at Pensacola Opera.
Nicole Koh, soprano
Soprano Nicole Koh, a native of Daly City, California, appeared with Opera San José last season as both the Queen of the Night and Papagena in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and returns for the 2025–26 season as an Artist-in-Resident. Koh has appeared as Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel with Chautauqua Opera and sang the title role in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory. Additional credits include covering the role of Winnie in Sky on Swings (Opera Saratoga), the title role in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Nella in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.
Noah Lindquist, conductor
A conductor, pianist, and vocal coach deeply rooted in the operatic tradition, Noah Lindquist enjoys a growing reputation as a dynamic and insightful presence on the podium. Since 2016, he has served as assistant conductor at Lyric Opera of Chicago and is a frequent member of the music staff at San Francisco Opera. He has led productions at Festival Napa Valley, where he conducted a critically acclaimed Don Pasquale featuring an international cast and an orchestra composed of musicians from leading ensembles, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Lindquist currently serves as head of music for the Manetti Shrem Opera Program at Festival Napa Valley. He is also an alumnus of both the Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship. He has collaborated in performance with many of today’s most celebrated singers, including Matthew Polenzani, Quinn Kelsey, Lucas Meachem, Serena Sáenz, and Pene Pati, and has coached artists appearing with the Metropolitan Opera, Oper Frankfurt, and San Francisco Opera.
Courtney Miller, mezzo-soprano
Known for her “captivating stage presence” and “excellent sense of comic timing,” mezzo-soprano Courtney Miller excels across genres. During the 2024-25 season, she returned to San Francisco Opera as Warren’s Wife in The Handmaid’s Tale, made debuts with Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera as Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, and West Bay Opera as Teresa in La sonnambula, and returned to Pocket Opera as Elmire in Tartuffe after making her debut as Nancy in Albert Herring in 2023. In the 2025-26 season, she returns to Opera San José, Festival Opera, revives her one-woman show “Tell me the truth about love,” and debuts with Livermore Valley Opera as Despina in Così fan tutte. Additionally, she has sung roles with Detroit Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Madison Opera, and aboard Azamara Club Cruises.
Benjamin Ruiz, tenor
An award-winning tenor praised by Bachtrack for his “wonderful intensity” and “well-voiced” performances, Benjamin Ruiz is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music, where he earned his Master’s in Voice Performance as an Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation Scholar. While at MSM, he performed principal roles under esteemed conductors including Metropolitan Opera’s Maestro Pierre Vallet. He made his European debut as Professor Würchem in Der Vogelhändler with Mittelsächsisches Theater and his U.S. debut in the 2023-2024 season as Beppe in Pagliacci with Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Ruiz is an alumnus of the Resident Artist Program at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and The Santa Fe Opera’s renowned Apprentice Program for Singers. Notable past appearances include master classes with Donald Palumbo and Javier Camarena, and a performance with the Grammy-winning Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra during Opera Theatre Saint Louis’ 2024 Center Stage concert. Ruiz has been recognized by the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Texoma NATS, the Alan M. and Joan Taub Ades Voice Competition, and is a First Prize Winner of the inaugural Duncan Williams Voice Competition, hosted by New York City Opera, Manhattan School of Music, and the Sphinx Foundation.
MarkAnthony Vallejo, director
A native of East Los Angeles, Mark Anthony Vallejo returns to Opera San José as Artist-in-Residence Director for the 2025–26 season, following his role as assistant director of La Bohème last season. He recently served as assistant director for Carmen with Music On Site, Inc., working alongside director Paul Houghtaling. A two-time finalist for the Metropolitan Opera’s Stage Directing Fellowship (2023 and 2024), Vallejo was honored to participate in an intensive for the Met’s new Carmen production, directed by Carrie Cracknell.
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