Marty McConnell

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael, you are always a breath of fresh air. As to an allowance for Gelb, it appears that the Met unions have effectively placed him on an allowance. With their threatened strike last year, and the negotiated settlement of that conflict, his sails have been trimmed. This is not to say that further trimming wouldn’t be in order. Further, I agree with you that many of the new Met productions leave much to be desired. An exception: I found the Traviata to be quite effective. Keep up the thoughtful commentary.

Marty McConnell, Cincinnati

 

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”