Keith Warner and Jakub Hrusa, artistic director and music director-designate of Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, have resigned their posts, ostensibly because of government budget slashing.
But, in reading through Warner’s public resignation speech, it’s clear that budget cuts are only part of the story. It’s hard to believe that the English theatre director had only been in the job for six months.
In announcing Warner’s appointment in 2010, the opera company’s general director, Erik Jacobsen, described the director as, “a deeply engaged person, a fantastic motivator and a great artist. His experience in both the artistic and leadership areas of the opera world is very exciting.”
The excitement didn’t last long. Warner’s speech reveals the dark side of an institution made too comfortable by long-term government financial backing.
Musical Toronto 