Is anything out there staying open? Besides the government, the New York City Opera announced on Tuesday that it is shutting down and filing for bankruptcy. The seven-decade-old opera launched an emergency appeal for funds in mid-September but did not meet its need of $7 million. Alan Gordon, national executive director for the American Guild of Musical Artists, was not shy about calling out those who are to blame for the demise of the opera: “City Opera’s demise is the fault of people with a lot of money but no common sense, from Susan Baker’s absurd flirtation with Gerard Mortier to (board chairman) Charles Wall’s foolish support of George Steel when the singers and orchestra unanimously had no confidence in Steel’s artistic vision,” he told the Associated Press.
