Final Curtain Came Too Soon
Filed Under Kitchen Curtain | Posted on November 28, 2008
Always a frenetically busy person, he explained in his clipped English accent that he was on a tight schedule: “I’ve got to take my sister out to dinner in half an hour.” In other words, the interview would have to be snappy.
In the end, though, it ran over time. Controversy had raged around Hickox for months. He had a lot on his mind and plenty to say. Even after he hung up, new thoughts occurred to him he rang back a few minutes later to emphasise a couple of points. He sounded as if he was in his car by then, presumably on his way to meet his sister.
There were allegations of favouritism, nepotism and declining standards. Acclaimed singers said they had been dumped without explanation. A few high-profile patrons threatened to cancel their subscriptions. Mezzo-soprano Fiona Janes angrily declared in a leaked letter to the board that the company was sliding into “an abyss of mediocrity”.
Some of the criticism was aimed at chief executive Adrian Collette rather than at Hickox, who in any case had many staunch defenders. The operas he conducted received good reviews and he retained the board’s confidence. But when I mentioned the off-stage drama, he bristled.
Tags: allegations, chief executive, confidence, controversy, english accent, few minutes, final curtain, half an hour, hickox, high profile, janes, mediocrity, mezzo soprano, nepotism, new thoughts, patrons, singers, stage drama, tight scheduleRelated posts
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