The first priority for the new general director, the announcement declares, is “leading the fiscal transformation of the company.” That distress signal may have dampened the enthusiasm of some big-vision candidates. One indication of the new sobriety is in the job announcement circulated by the Toronto search firm, Genovese Vanderhoof & Associates. 'Maybe that's why I got the job,' he says, with a smile, about his financial realism. But these are different times economically, and the opera has dug itself into some financial holes.Īccordingly, Aidan Lang spoke candidly about “a balance of ambition and financial reality,” adding that “not everything has to be done at the grandest level.” His experience with scrappy, smaller opera companies has trained him in this regard. The commitment to the company’s signature Ring cycle remains, as does the insistence on high artistic quality, particularly in the singers. One member of the search committee told me that the committee understandably began “looking for a replica of Speight” but ended up, after its deep education in the state of opera today, looking for something different. It’s not easy for the public to learn what this strategic review has produced, since the baton-passing always stresses continuity, especially when the retiring leader is as beloved as Jenkins has become both here and in the wider opera world. Such searches are normally very important times in the history of arts organizations, for they commence with a top-to-bottom examination of the company and its future directions. The unconventional and risky choice was a surprise in many ways. The new general director, who starts in September, 2014, is Aidan Lang, current head of New Zealand Opera. Last week, Seattle Opera announced the results of its two-year quest to find a successor to Speight Jenkins, who has led the company with remarkable distinction and passion for the past 30 years.

Seattle opera 2013