Introduction
The Metropolitan Opera, located in New York, NY, is cultural institution steeped in history and known for its bombastic opera productions. The original opera house opened in 1883, and eventually the large scale performances outgrew the space. Lincoln Center presented an opportunity for a new home, and since 1966 some of the most iconic moments in opera history have occurred on that stage. Between 2013-2014 the Metropolitan Opera weathered the most contentious labor negotiations in its history.
Background
Peter Gelb has been the general director of the Metropolitan Opera since 2007. By 2013, Gelb had a proud track record of accomplishments. High-definition theatrical broadcasts of Met opera productions in cities around the world brought grand opera to an audience of millions and opened a new revenue stream— totalling thirty two million in 2013. To attract new audiences, Gelb had brought a roster of acclaimed directors to the Met stage
…show more content…
In 2013, they were three hundred and twenty-seven million dollars—forty-seven per cent higher than when Gelb took over. Because the box-office accounted for less than a third of revenue, the Met depended heavily on charitable contributions. Though revenue had grown by nearly fifty per cent, to three hundred and twenty-four million dollars, the company was running an operating deficit of $2.8 million.
Despite a multiyear bull market in stocks, the Met’s endowment had withered to two hundred and fifty-three million dollars, from a peak of three hundred and forty-five million in October, 2007, owing in part to annual withdrawals to fund operations. In 2013, the Met drew twenty-one million dollars from the endowment, an alarming spending rate of 8.3%. In 2012, the Met had tapped the bond market to borrow a hundred million dollars. Meanwhile, attendance had fallen from ninety-two per cent of capacity, in 2007-08, to seventy-nine per cent, in the 2012-13 season.
Labor
For my second cultural report I decided to go see a musical called “Wicked” in New York City with my girlfriend. I made this choice because I haven’t seen the famous Broadway Musical before but I was told by my girlfriend that it is a really good musical to do my report on. The musical was seen in New York City, New York on Broadway (March 31, 2017) at 8pm in Gershwin Theatre. Wicked is the musical story of The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West and Glenda the Good before Dorothy came. Wicked spotlights the untold stories of The Wizard of Oz’s most infamous characters, the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the events which eventually
Eastern Washington University Department of Music presented a program of Opera works by Giacomo Puccini, Aron Copland, W.A. Mozart, John Dowland, Franz Shubert, Maurice Ravel, and Robert Schumann on Friday, March 7, 6:30 p.m., in the Music Building, Recital Hall. These Opera works were sung by Senior Recitalist, Alexandra Rannow.
One of the very first electrified streets in the United States was Broadway. This gave it many opportunities to become a large icon for our nation. As we know now it is one of the most well-known places for great entertainment. However Broadway was not always the iconic entertainment center it is today; it was stolen, had New York City emerge around it, and persevered through many difficult economic and cultural times.
There was Phantom, who was named Eric from France, in The Opera House. Everyone in city spoke about it and every worker in Opera was afraid of him, except doorkeeper Madame Giry, whom he spoke only. He controlled everything there. Each director ignored him at the beginning, but they accepted his demands after some accidents happened to them or to their workers. The last time, the directors of Opera were Armand Moncharmin and Firmin Richard. They have two singers, one Christine Daae and the other La Carlotta. La Carlotta, whom all citizens loved, was very famous and main singer in The Opera. Christine was very young and inexperienced, but she was pretty beautiful.
The history of opera companies in New York City may bring to mind the largesse of the Metropolitan Opera Company, but for years before that opera was alive and well, and even thriving, in New York City. High society in New York had long been envious of the elegance associated with European opera outings, but it wasn't until 1825 that the first production of an opera was performed on a New York stage – an Italian opera troupe performing the premiere of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville. A review from the New York Evening Post reported, “the first-night house was full”, and noted with a “touch of relief” that “an assemblage of ladies so fashionable, so numerous… so elevated, so ‘European’” attended the performance. Accompanying the ladies of high
The information provided in the Operating Statement of Johns Hopkins Hospital shows the operating revenue (the daily business that generates income) was 1,791,899 and total-operating expenses including such items as salaries, supplies, provision for bad debt etc. was 1,706,672. By subtracting operating revenue from operating expenses the gross profit can be calculated, which totaled
Rudy, Carol-Ann. "Post-election Broadway Ticket Sales Show Decline." Ticket News. 5 Nov. 2008. Web. 10 May 2010. .
...hould be clearly outlined. Goals and Objective must be discussed, and the implementation process. If I were to side on this budget, it would be Janet Dobbs’s. I believe she had clear financial plans as to how much money should be allocated and where on behalf of the organization. Her only downfall, I would say is not keeping the mission in mind. She only had one goal in mind and that was to eliminate the debt, once the debt was eliminated, what other goals would the company strive to obtain. I understand the board members are not worried about the debt at the moment, but to only focus on touching the public through art, and not the finance of the organization as well, will result in the company eventually closing.
... middle of paper ... ... A majority of her staff is on contract and generally works less than the symphony does. This provides a great opportunity for the opera employees to increase their potential performances and network with a much more renowned organization.
In 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded by a group of businessmen and artists who wanted a place to present and educate the public to a variety of art. This museum houses paintings, sculptures, costumes, musical instruments, and antique weaponry. The works range from classical antiquity through the European masters to modern art. The Frick Collection was opened to the public in 1935, transforming Henry Frick’s mansion into a gallery showcasing his extensive collection of European paintings, drawings, manuscripts and sculptures. Both museums have similar mission statements, with the Frick Museum’s directive to preserve Henry Frick’s collection of art and showcasing it publicly, and the Met’s objective to encourage and develop the education of the fine arts.
Mahler's early career was spent at a serious of regional opera houses (Hall in 1880, Laibach in 1881, Olmutz in 1882, Kassel in 1883, Prague in 1885, Liepzig in 1886-8, Budapest from 1886-8, and Hamburg from 1891-7), a normal career path, until he arrived as head of the Vienna Opera in 1897. Mahler ended some of the more slovenly performance pra...
On Friday November 3rd I had the pleasure of attending an evening of Opera titled Love Through the Ages with Maria Fortuna and Nancy Townsend at the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre. Having never been to an Opera performance I had no idea of what to expect and was looking forward to this new experience. Fortuna was accompanied by multi-faceted pianist Nancy Townsend. These two musicians showed tremendous expertise and were able to keep my attention through the extent of the program.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Classical Music Concert Report. I attended the Los Angeles Philharmonic classical music concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on Friday 29 November 2013. The classical concert started at 8:00pm to the enjoyment of the huge audience that had been waiting for this amazing music extravaganza. Classical music concerts always offer magnificent entertainment and the audience in this concert was expectant to derive such entertainment or more. In attendance were Christian Zacharias, who was the conductor, and Martin Chalifour, who was the LA Phil commanding Principal Concertmaster and Bach violin player.
The orchestra was well amplified throughout the Lincoln Center Opera House because it was clearly heard from our upper mezzanine seating. Sunken down below in front of the stage is where I found the opera orchestra. The opera orchestra, which is quite similar to a full symphony orchestra, was starting to warm-up as I entered the "jewelry box". In the orchestra pit I found aerophones, which included, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, as well as a flute, piccolo, english horn, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, bass trombone, and a tuba; chordophones, which included the first and second violins, violas, cellos, and a harp; membranophones were made up of the percussion and a timpani. The dynamics range from piano to extreme fortissimo throughout the four act opera. This helped the audience grasp the feelings and emotion that the characters were trying to displ...
There are countless organizations throughout the world providing services to government agencies, educational institutions, medical facilities, and individuals. No matter what type of services an organization provides or to whom, financial management is essential to their economic viability. Consequently, many questions must be asked and decisions made pertaining to the finances of an organization. An organization must take into consideration, what long-term investments they should partake in, how they plan on financing the long-term investments, their liabilities and short-term assets, and how daily financial activities will be conducted. While these are not the only questions and decisions an organization must entertain, they are crucial