The Guild, a separate not-for-profit organization, will lay off 20 people, its entire
staff. These employees will receive severance packages, and it is hoped that several will become Met employees, the Guild says.
In addition, the
Met will integrate the Guild’s dress-rehearsal program that serves students into its own programming.
Other Guild activities, including its annual fall luncheon and its spring Opera News Awards, will be
discontinued.
The Guild blames the changes on economic headwinds.
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As for the magazine, Rebecca Paller has been named as
Opera magazine’s U.S. editor.
On her LinkedIn page, Paller is identified as a freelance arts writer at the Paley Center for Media.
“We are mindful of the rich editorial history of Opera News and are delighted to perpetuate it in a special U.S.-focused section within our pages,
which will also keep all our readers worldwide better informed about the Met’s HD and radio broadcasts,” says John Allison, Editor and Publisher
of Opera magazine.
Allison adds, “With our first such issue in December, we will be increasing our print run to
accommodate all the Guild members and current Opera News subscribers in the United States.”
For its part, the Met is “proud
to keep alive the Guild’s outstanding legacy with the continuation of Opera News and our student dress-rehearsal program,” says Peter Gelb, the Met’s Maria Manetti Shrem General
Manager.