New York City Opera prepares to file for bankruptcy. The Minnesota Orchestra Association announces that it is cancelling the orchestra's Carnegie Hall concerts, making Osmo Vänskä's resignation very likely. The best account of what happened to City Opera is Fred Cohn's, for Opera News. We await the definitive story of the Minnesota debacle, but, as in the case of City Opera, the activities of the board of directors will require close scrutiny. Lisa Hirsch has a succint formulation: "If an opera company or symphony orchestra finds itself in financial trouble, it's rarely because the musicians can't play and the costumers have forgotten how to sew."
