Dear NYT. While I applaud the talent of the Mets new conductor and celebrate the happiness of his personal life I can’t happen to think that he is just another white male (gay...in opera...shocking...yawn)
instead of one of many equally talented and qualified women and minorities.
8
You emphasize the ever-growing social acceptance of homosexuality in America to explain why Yanick Nézet-Séguin is more open about his private life than Leonard Bernstein and James Levine were. Another extremely important factor, which you do not mention at all, is that Nézet-Séguin and his mate come from Québec and not from the United States. Québec is the most gay-friendly country that I have known, and I have lived in nine different countries. I found America’s Puritanism and homophobia impossible to deal with and was happy to leave fifty-one years ago.
40
Heart warming, wonderful!.....Wish them well..No matter the question; Love is always the answer...
16
In my many decades as a member of the Queer community, I've often wondered why such a high percentage of white gay couples look like they came out of the same womb.
8
Why is this news or a milestone at the Metropolitan Opera? This article seems like a deliberate attempt to sweep under the carpet the very sordid mess of the Met having fired its previous Music Director James Levine for sexual misconduct. After his firing, the Wall Street Journal called for an investigation into the Met, to uncover which staff members at the opera knew about Levine’s misconduct and may have been enabling him. For example, did the General Manager know? Did the Development Chief Know? I’m sorry that Ronan Farrow nor any other investigative journalist stepped up to the plate to find out the truth. Instead we get this “warm and fuzzy” story about the Opera’s new Music Director from The New York Times. Nice work, Met Opera press office.
10
Sickening over sentimentalized puffery. You are going to destroy yourselves with over confidence and overreach. Someday soon someone in a position to have an effect is going to say, “enough already.” I have a straight woman friend, very liberal, who is already making noises: “Gay, gay, gay.” If this comes from the liberal sector, what can we expect from hostile forces?
4
To all those who decry this as a puff piece about two privileged artists whose sexual orientation should be ignored in a post-homophobic environment, you do realize I hope that you live in a country whose vice-president believes in "conversion therapy"--look that up under 'psychological torture.' And his wife is now teaching at a school that doesn't allow gay kids or gay parents.
And get this: the Pences are proud of their bigotry, and they apparently expect all Americans to support it, which many do. So the fact of the conductor's orientation and the fact of his partner's existence are especially relevant in the context of this administration--one that is so beholden to the fringe right-wing lobby of evangelicals, a group that proves the adage that the more 'religious' a cult is, the more obsessed they are with the sex other people are having.
79
@gregory910 There is nothing necessarily wrong with conversion therapy, except, in my opinion, its total silliness and ineffectiveness, nor is there anything intolerant about a religious school that follows the tenets and practices of their religion. What do you expect? Shall they subscribe to your beliefs rather than their own? This applies to Moslem schools, Jewish schools: take your pick. It seems to me there is plenty of intolerance on both sides of this divide.
3
What this story communicates most clearly to me is that, yes, opera is closed to me, that I’m not welcome. The air is too rarified. To breathe it you have to understand how sacred it is to have Celine Dion piped-in to your soirée and how cool it is to have a Zaha Hadid sofa to flop on to...and I do not.
4
Individual's music talent should be more important than his sexual preferences. When one listens to music the personal preferences of private matters that relate to the performer is irrelevant.
12
We operaphiles certainly appreciate our new music director!! He's passionate and talented, and obviously a
very likable person off-stage as well.
33
While I certainly agree that this matters, I must point out that the San Francisco Symphony has had an openly gay music director, Michael Tilson-Thomas, since 1995. He and his manager/husband Joshua Robison live in the City.
25
No it doesn't matter. Especially in the arts, old story.
As long as one's different sexual orientation keeps being news, the different will continue to be seen as.................different.
Let them be.
9
Could one see a more moving, beautiful expression of love than Mr. Tourville's Jacques Brel chanson performance and Mr. Nezet-Seguin's reaction? I'm still crying.
17
@Cynthia Staiman Vosk
As was I, Cynthia!
2
If anyone deserves the blessing of marriage, it is certainly this marvelous pair. I so wish them success and happiness throughout their lives. If only there were more people (gay or straight) such as these, what a blessing they could give to all of us.
23
I've only seen Yannick Nézet-Séguin live once, conducting the Mahler Second at the National Arts Center in Ottawa more than ten years ago (2007?). What stuck me most, I think, was his rapport with the musicians. When he looked up to cue the huge chorus, or made eye contact with the orchestra or one of the seven soloists, every performed just beamed, clearly smitten. It made a deeply moving piece of music even more emotional.
p.
30
@Jerry and Peter
I had the pleasure and privilege of seeing La Traviata Live in HD last month with the fabulous intermission features about Yannick Nezet-Seguin and I fell madly in love with hi not only because of his amazing talent and energy and intelligence and his enchanting personality but because he inspires hope that an art form that brings me such joy will flourish and thrive among younger audiences. He appeals across generations - for many reasons obviously - but that honesty and openness is irresistible.
28
@Patricia Yes! His energy is so wonderful. I ended up in the front row of the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Mahler 5 several years ago... the front row may not be the best for sound but for watching him... wow. So exciting!
11
Can we listen to the music, welcome the drama, and finally understand the art of Claude Debussy? I think that is what the new music director wants. Let us all applaud him as he moves forward.
19
First, let us remember another beloved gay conductor, Thomas Scheepers, lost in the epidemic's first wave. Second, thanks, thanks, thanks for the story! Julius was kind of a second home to me for years. They had the best cheeseburguer/potato salad ever!
19
Mrs. Pence teaches at a school where they still raise kids to believe they are abnormal and an offense in the sight of God, and will never have an honest place in their church, community, school, or family. For some of those kids, it could just be a lifesaver to hear about a happy, well-adjusted, unashamed gay couple who are embraced, maybe even loved, as an essential component of a great city's cultural life.
98
I'm pretty sure the Met had a gay conductor before this. (James Levine)
6
@HandsomeMrToad Only one?
5
What would be news and would matter would be a woman at the head of the MET.
But I guess that even orangutans will have the honor to be MD at the MET before women.
10
@Janet - I doubt that, but I could be wrong.
@Janet That will definitely be welcome news. And when it happens, most of us gay men will be cheering our sister's appointment just as I hope most women are cheering at this accomplishment. We’re all in this together.
37
@Janet
How about the best possible conductor available and willing regardless of their genitals or how they use them?
Identity politics and quibbling was a big factor in HC losing the election. (I know, I know, not the popular vote. But if she had more of that, it could have turned the EC.)
Many Americans, including this classicly liberal Democrat are fed up with this. It seems Dems would rather be right than win elections.
7
There are not many lights that illuminate all life with their gifts but Yannick is one of them. How lucky are we in the Philly area to be able to experience his genius of connection through music.
28
"....conducting remains an overwhelmingly straight (and male, and white) profession"
And how exactly would you know?
I get the white (maybe) and male (probably).
But when will we stop assuming that someone who chooses to keep their sexuality private - yay for privacy - is default straight?
17
@SteveRR
Congrats for standing up to current PC assumptions. By all means, let's get the best person for every job, and stop discriminating against people for being gay, or brown-skinned, or female...or even straight, white and male.
17
@Jojojo Totally agree. I
6
James Levine was gay. What are you youngsters at the NYT talking about.
10
@William B - Levine wasn't out.
9
@William Was? I was sick yesterday; fine today. Don't think this applies to being gay.
I go to the Met Opera to see and hear magnificent performances. Ditto in Philadelphia when Ricardo Muti was conducting. The sexuality of conductors or performers is not relevant. Unless you have time to waste on a sideshow.
18
@Mark Hermanson - It might be very relevant indeed to gay kids living outside the accepting enclaves of big cities, who never thought someone like them could find acceptance in a job they dream of having. Nézet-Séguin is the first ever. Such breakthroughs are never irrelevant.
43
It is interesting that there is little push back when articles are written about the personal lives of famous folks saying “why does this matter”. I have seen the old version of Traviata and this one. The new Verizon is outstanding. If we wish opera to grow and sustain, there must be a dynamic presentation of old masters. People’s lives influence their actions, feelings, abilities to translate music, language, theatre into living moments. It seems that this Maestro’s life and his ability to be totally comfortable with himself, allows him to totally display his creative genius without second guessing who he must be. Bravo!
29
This kind of article is profoundly unnecessary. As a contributor to the Philadelphia Orchestra (a sleeping giant that Yannick has awakened), I find the important thing about him is his great musicianship and, secondarily, his tremendous interpersonal skills.
23
@Ralph
Wrong. Representation also matters as this article clearly establishes.
8
Whilst one’s professional talent and output are of prime importance, stories such as these allow us a glimpse into the personal lives of people that might otherwise go unnoticed. Does it change your experience of attending a performance? Of course not. But it does help to shape our understanding and perhaps even challenge our assumptions and even our biases. This is also not about NYC, as some comments seem to indicate. As an international newspaper with more readers outside of New York than in it, this is a story than can affect lives around the world where being an openly gay couple is illegal and life threatening. And in some US states it is still legal to discriminate in housing, for example, based on sexual orientation. The humanness of this story comes through wonderfully.
54
: “Leonard Bernstein and James Levine, who both kept sexual relationships with men hidden.” For whom? Perhaps Sally Smithers in Sioux City didn’t know but the rest of us did. There was even a John Guare play “Marco Polo Sings a Solo” that has a wonderful sendup of Bernstein in it. The play is from the early 80s.
15
Is this attack really necessary? "It doesn’t help that the field is by its nature past-loving and has major centers in countries like Italy and Russia, where reactionary values still reign."
I don't think so.
10
Bravo! Great article.
10
I thought James Levine was the Met's first gay music director?
Or is everyone at the Met and NYT still in denial?
13
@MacDonald
I imagine it would be poor journalism to label Mr. Levine gay, despite what everyone appears to know or think. He has never acknowledged it other than to confirm relationships with other men. It’s a question of journalistic standards.
6
@MacDonald. Did you ever once hear anyone at the Met acknowledge that in public?
@MacDonald Not denial, but it's not cool to Out someone, no matter how well-known it is, without their permission (with the possible exception of those who actually cause harm to GLBT folks). So someone's being gay is not MENTIONED until they acknowledge it, even if the rest of the universe knows.
See: Liberace, Elton John, George Michael, Sean Hayes, Clay Aiken, etc
5
Your headline is incorrect, since the Met had a gay conductor in James Levine. Levine's sexual orientation was an open secret for many decades. So, the Met has had a gay conductor going all the way back into the 20th century.
What the Times headline today should have said is: "The Met Opera Has Another Gay Conductor, One Who Is Relatively Young and Trendy." And, apparently, available for an extensive interview and happy to be photographed with his partner.
I don't care about his personal life, and I don't need a write-up that could have been in the "Vows" section, thanks.
30
@L Exactly, an “open secret”, whispered about and acknowledged with a wink. This article is about a man who is who he is, at ease with himself and with no imposition pressed upon him to hide or dissemble charmingly in public. That is indeed huge and well worth celebrating.
27
@Mark Spot on!!
9
I would amend the headline to say that "The Met Opera Has a Gay Conductor. Nobody Cares, And That's A Big Deal." (or words to that effect).
Remember a few years ago when gay marriages were front-page news? They no longer are.
Remember (or remember reading about) the days when black major-league baseball players were front page news? Ditto for female heads of state, and on and on.
People who like to grouse about "I can't believe this is considered news" can relax. Pretty soon it won't be.
32
But from one generation to the next, progress is being made.
Mahler had to stop being Jewish to get the Vienna post.
Bernstein was able to be Jewish but not gay.
Levine was able to be "openly closeted" (don't ask, don't tell) but not able to be seen in public with male companions.
And now we have Maestro Nezet-Seguin right out there in your face.
The arc of history is long but it bends toward justice.
115
@Boneisha
Bernstein wasn't able to be gay when he got the New York Phil post. He was married in 1951 and got the New York Phil job in 1958.
5
@Boneisha
Hi I have finished my comment before hitting "submit". Bernstein had to be married for the New York Phil job in 1958, but spent much of his career as openly gay-and even the VPO had no problem with it.
7
@Boneisha
Mahler did not "have to stop being Jewish to get the Vienna post." According to historic accounts, he never was a practicing Jew nor did he feel a connection to the Jews he saw around him. He was fascinated by the figure of Mary, Jesus' mother, and her religious and symbolic significance (see Symph. No. 8, Part 2) and willingly converted to Catholicism. It was no secret that he was of Jewish origin. Nevertheless, he ascended to what was basically the highest position on the Vienneses musical scene, the intendant and chief conductor of the Vienna Hofoper, because of his brilliance.
8
I’m glad to read that the Met’s new Music Director is out and accepted. But for me the most interesting revelations are YNS’s plans for the Met Orchestra and its sound profile. The turmoil and uncertainty of the last 10 years must have been hard on the orchestra, and there has been notable turnover in the roster. It’s to be hoped that a firm and gifted hand will trim some of the rough edges that have crept into their playing.
Last night I enjoyed his first-ever performance of Pelléas & Melisande, but I also hope to hear his detailed interpretation grow in arc and sweep. As significant as the facts of his personal life may be, it’s his music making that counts.
25
I've been listening to the Philadelphia Orchestra concerts on SiriusXM and I can say that Mr. Nezet Seguin is a very good conductor. However, the first time I heard him was in Carmen at the Met. At the time, he was one of those conductors who conducts ahead of the beat. This works for orchestras but definitely not for singers who have to act as well as sing. They look for the beat a split second before beginning a phrase and can't always hear the orchestra clearly from afar. So poor Roberto Alagna was right on the maestro's beat but ahead of the music. The singers in the Quintet were staged so that they could watch and listen without too much moving around so they were with the orchestra. But it was a total mess. Hopefully, Mr. Nezet-Sequin has learned his lesson for opera and now conducts on the beat.
But where in the world has Mr. Woolfe been for the last few decades? It has been common knowledge that the Met management and staff has been decidedly and openly gay for the past 30-40 years (Remember Klara Barlow and the "gay mafia" kerfuffle back in the late 70's?). I'm happy for Mr. Nezet-Seguin that he has found happiness with his partner. But do we really need to make an issue of this? Afterall, it's not like this is something new and novel in the Met, the arts, or NY.
37
What ultimately matters in music is not the performers’ lifestyle, but the sounds our ears get. You don’t need to berate Levine or Toscanini or anyone else to acknowledge the value of current younger generations. Despite their alleged human blemishes, Levine’s and Toscanini’s recordings still give me the goosebumps. Wasn’t Wagner a blemished person? (Please see Father Owen Lee’s lectures on this topic at St. Michaels college in Toronto)
11
James Levine's homosexuality was an open secret. A shame that it had to be a secret, open or not, but he isn't young, and that's the way things were.
The Metropolitan Opera's treatment of him was foul. I don't see, either, that it's flourishing without him.
Nor is the NYCB doing all that well without Peter Martins, ousted for different but equally unsubstantiated reasons.
Time for liberal institutions, caught up in a general hysteria of both true, and patently false, claims of sexual harassment, to take a deep breath. Enough self-immolation. We have work to do.
10
Levine was not fired for being gay. He was terminated for justifiable cause and that had nothing to do with his very real, very great talent. The lack of progress in his promised lawsuit is the best statement of why he is not nor should be working at the Met. You should feel for the victims not the victimizer.
57
@B.
The quality of performances at both the Met and NYCB has not suffered. You can attribute that to both individuals’ work ... or not. But the future is what their successors will be judged by.
4
A poster below suggested that he assumes all conductors are gay, which is absurd. One of the nicer things about Nezet-Seguin's musical tenure at the world's most famous opera house, is that he can do so while living his own authentic life. There are not many who do. But make no mistake, conducting is dominated by heterosexual males. I wonder what Toscanini, Furtwangler, von Karajan, Solti, Muti, Abbado, Kleiber and Mehta, among many others, might have made of this assertion? It was no secret that James Levine, who wracked up more performances conducting the Met orchestra over forty seasons, was gay, and he lost his job not because he was gay, but because male victims came forward to accuse him of inappropriate sexual aggression. Gay conductors are still scarce in the world of opera and symphony orchestras: I can only think of Bernstein, Mitropoulos, Thieleman, and Summers as actually working at the top of their fields and are publicly gay. I think it is fantastic that Nezet-Seguin gets to live his authentic life while doing what he loves the most and is acclaimed for doing it.
29
@GregBPortland: I wonder when women (gay or straight) will get to live their "authentic" lives, doing what they love most AND getting acclaimed for it, especially in the world of conducting.
Is there a time-line in place for that? Or do women just take a number and wait in line until all the males have been accommodated?
12
So, James Levine was not gay? Out? No. This I concede. Yes, Neget-Seguin is out and proud and he is to be commended for his courage. But his out status denotes no social revolution in the arts world. OTOH, when professional athletes start coming out in droves, then we can declare that a revolution is unfolding.
17
@Jeff B
What if they are gay climate change deniers? Or gay racists? Or gay atheists? Or gay anti abortionists?
How much politics should we have to consider rather than whether or not an athlete can do his job?
Jason Collins is 7 feet tall and in 13 seasons in the nba averaged 3.6 ppg. But his sexuality makes him some kind of hero?
Meh.
3
"conducting remains an overwhelmingly straight (and male, and white) profession"
The rhetorical device of identifying the profession itself as "straight," "male," or "white" accomplishes what purpose, exactly?
Perhaps many readers of the Times are very interested to know about the sex life of the new music director of the Metropolitan Opera, but I am not.
13
@Mark
You have conflated "gay" with "sex life" which happens all too often. Gay cannot be reduced to sex.
17
@Mark I didn't see a thing about their sex life in this article. If sex is what you think about when you see the word "Gay", then you are the one with an issue. Do your mind immediately go to heterosexual couples' "sex lives" when you meet a married pair?
11
Gay/straight conductors? Actually, I've never thought it about it. I listen and buy the records I like.
But, then again, I really don't get out a lot...
12
This is news? If the Met had a straight conductor, now that would be news.
43
How about a female conductor? Men come first, always no matter who they sleep with.
31
@leftrightmiddle
Usually...
1
The combination of a couple very much in love, a celebration of one's life, in French, with Celine Dion! Such a perfect storm for waterworks. I guess I just break that way.
8
Wonderful conductor and a great shot in the arm for the Met Opera. His sexual preferences are no more than an interesting footnote for me.
I have been a fan ever since I saw him there as a guest conductor. I wish him all success!
19
Of course him being gay matters! Not so much about his ability, but because of his experience and what he brings to the podium.
I took great offence to the recent Times article on the Colorado Governor and how is gayness was essentially meaningless. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's as if the most fundamental thing about you doesn't figure into how you conduct yourself. And that's nonsense.
LP
15
There have been several gay and bi-sexual conductors in New York--Demitri Metroopolous, Leonard Bernstein, and James Levine. Bernstein and Levine fooled around with teen-age boys. Bernstein was just celebrated on his hundredth birthday. Levine, who was a better musician, will not be.
6
When was the last time the NYT interviewed a new conductor with his wife or female lover? Your bias against women is obvious, even as you celebrate Opera's sad old sexual discrimination.
21
Well caught!
1
The notable news is who was chosen and the skills. I really do not know anyone who comments about who is gay coupled with the nature of their work. Maybe we stop making the sexual orientation part of the headline .....or even the story?
8
@BCY123 the reason it is "news" is that he is OUT, not that he is gay, of which he is not the first. But you might be surprised at the number of people out there whose only images of gay people are negative and stereotypical, so it DOES matter for someone to see this World-famous, immensely talented musician be able to openly speak of his relationship with his husband (nobody bats an eye when a heterosexual person mentions their husband/wife in passing, nor would it be news for an "openly hetero" conductor anywhere).
Somewhere out there are gay boys and girls who might wish to be conductors someday, but imagine there might be some 'glass ceiling' sort of barrier even in the music world. For them to see this and know who he is can make a difference in their whole dreams, in the same way B. Obama gave a certain new degree of hope to racial minority children out there in the world.
9
"The Met Opera Has a Gay Conductor. Yes, That Matters."
No it doesn't, anymore than there are gay ice cream truck drivers.
Big deal.
30
@Mike OD The "OPENLY gay" part is what matters. People even in 2019 lose jobs in much less competitive fields for coming out. The top echelons of the Arts world are a shark tank, and this kind of thing used to be enough to be a deal-breaker in more cases than you can imagine.
12
This is the lamest angle for a story I've read in a long time. Spending so much time marveling that this man who works in the arts is openly gay is ... I don't know ... pandering? cutesy? clueless? Hard to express the right shade of annoying.
46
It obviously matters to the NYT. I myself could care less.
16
Dear NYT, this is not a tabloid.
I am not interested in the personal lives of those you write about. I enjoy going to the Met, but it's for the performance and not the politics of the performers.
I don't care who is having sex with whom.
33
@Kate Baptista I don't recall seeing sex mentioned anywhere in the article; perhaps it is YOU who are peeking under too many bedsheets? Or are you not aware of the richness of married life in which sex is a small, often almost nonexistent portion?
5
It is strange in this time that we still use terms like "gay" and "straight." If a man is with a woman, he's "straight." But if that same man later goes with a man, he's "gay?" That doesn't make sense. I'd been in a relationship with a man for more than twenty-five years when I began having attractions to women. But I still loved him and stayed with him until his death. So am I "gay" or "straight?" It's just not that simple.
17
@Larry Esser You would typically be termed "bisexual" if you are attracted to men and women, regardless of which gender you happened to be dating or in a relationship with, at the time.
But may gay men, such as (apparently) Nézet-Séguin, know they are gay, but date women when they are young for societal approval (especially in past decades) even as they know they aren't attracted to them, but because being openly gay still was, until fairly recently, something that might be used against him in a cutthroat career.
Or, many young men know they are gay deep down, but date (or marry, sadly) women hoping to "change". Part of the elation of this article is that he moved past that lie, and past the don't ask-don't tell scenarios of Bernstein and Levine, to full and open honesty. One would think honesty would be applauded instead of scoffed at.
8
The video was magic. They are so fortunate to have found each other.
8
No, Mr. Woolfe: The new director of the Metropolitan Opera is a fantastic conductor, an accomplished musican and a man of great culture. But none of these rare qualities have anything to do with his sexual orientations. On the contrary, I find your comments quite offensive toward such a fine musician, who has the right to be applauded for his "bravura" (an Italian non-reactionary term for an exceptionally skilled artists), not for his free and personal choices regarding his totally personal life. And I recall also with distaste the graphic and detailed description of the "sexual misconduct" of the great maestro James Levine in another all-sex-but-no-music article published last year by The Times. It could help if, next time, before chosing a subject for an article, you consult with Mr. Anthony Tommasini, a critic whose voice is as authoritative as the newspaper for which he writes.
10
Congratulations and best wishes to both gentlemen. BUT, the crucifixion and disrespect the Met has dealt out to James Levine is simply appalling. Maestro Levine BUILT the Met, whatever Peter Gelb and others may think. Editing the Maestro out of the credits for the Met HD productions of the past, and simply ignoring virtually everything he did is appalling. Beware Mr. Nezet-Sequin, it can happen to you too. The Met IS the best. Long may it be so, but it IS because of Jimmy Levine devotion and years of contribution.
28
@Kathleen King
I became an opera fan in the late 80s not long after I moved to NY. Shortly thereafter I worked wth someone who had a backstage job at the Met. He told me at that time that it was openly known around the Met that Levine had a penchant for underage boys (high schoolers).
I didn’t think much of it, that sort of behaviour was more of less kept hidden, but not thought of as seriously criminal (as far as I was aware).
I applaud the social change in attitude regarding this criminal activity, but it was a bit much for the Met to play the Claude Rains “shocked, shocked!” act.
That’s show business I guess.
(Sorry, I realize this has nothing to do with the article, just responding to @Kathleen King.)
16
Kathleen, to say that Levine "built" the Met does a disservice to hundreds of great artists who appeared with the company between 1883 and 1970. You don't imagine it was an opera theater of little importance for 88 years, and this all changed when he came along, do you?
A non-hyperbolic assessment of Levine's contribution: he did what every music director of every theater does. He conducted a lot of performances and claimed a lot of the most prestigious assignments for himself. Even when he was not conducting, his likes and dislikes shaped the repertoire, the artistic roster, and the production style. The technical quality of the orchestra's playing improved under him. Then he became less reliable and his music-making declined with advancing age and illnesses. When an investigation supported credible accusations of wrongdoing by nine men, the Met finally severed its ties with him.
9
Congrats to the subjects of this article and their success, and to those asking why is this an article about being openly gay (vs. not) or even news, the answer is pretty simple. One, being gay is still not as easy in society as it should be and being openly so can be difficult. Two, it sells newspaper to present everything as novel or a grievance-outrage-civil rights issue. Here both.
I'm not sure how novel or rare it is to have an openly gay person leading a performing arts organization in New York city, and that's the main problem with this article. In today's world, a statement such as rare calls for statistics in support. It is perhaps another problem that there is a difference between openly gay and publicly affirming in a newspaper. I don't know.
4
Why is this news? Why does this matter?
39
@R. R.
[[Why is this news? Why does this matter?]]
It is not. It does not.
12
@R. R. Like Ari W. above, you are missing the point, which I am repeating here even though it clearly will not register with some. The point is not that YNS is gay, or that any major artist or arts administrator is gay as such. The point is that the climate is more favorable now to be an openly gay artist or arts administrator, as opposed to being discreet or silent about that. The question betrays an ignorance of history (completely consistent with right-wing thinking) prior to the current day.
21
@The Other George W. Thank you, this gay, former prepskool teacher found himself embroiled in a tedious, endless, and absurd Facebook brawl, just yesterday, after someone brought up the Christian school at which Mrs. Pence has chosen to teach her art. Long story short?.......six or so conservative "friends" hopped on the baker's bandwagon of "No one CARES anymore.....just quit and go teach at another school if you don't like where you are or they don't like you". I could NOT get any of them to understand that you can't go switching jobs (Everytime you come under fire for your personal life) and expect to be promoted in the department/administration......and they will be asking WHY you left your last teaching post...and, also, why should a gay teacher HAVE to switch jobs because of his purely personal life? Trying to convince these folks that homophobia is not, in fact, a relic of past times and characteristic of only the ignorant, uneducated lower-classes of Alabama was futile.
As for why this article(I liked it a great deal; it was,among other good things, simply charming in a rare way) is "News" is that the completely "normal" public profile these two men have is, in fact, a very new thing....which in my book qualifies as news.
Sincerely,
David Terry
Quail Roost Farm
Rougemont, NC
15
I am amazed this is even an issue, in 2019. I left the Classical music business over 10 years ago, but I can tell you in the 30 years I played in orchestras, I worked for plenty of gay conductors and sat with plenty of gay colleagues. Wasn't it Leonard Bernstein who quipped: "There are three kinds of musicians - gay, Jewish, and bad." A non-issue for colleagues, I assure you.
43
@RLM That's a misquote. From Wikipedia: [Vladimir] Horowitz, who denied being homosexual, once joked, "There are three kinds of pianists: Jewish pianists, homosexual pianists, and bad pianists."
18
@RLM Try visiting the bigoted boondocks of the USA, and you will find that tolerance for gay people is still an issue in 2019. Those people put the monsters in power at 1600 PA Ave. and still hold undue influence in politics and elsewhere. The point, which I am repeating ad nauseum, is not the presence of gay artists as such, but the fact that they can be more open about it, like with Peter Gelb mentioning YNS' partner Pierre Tourville in the recent 'Traviata' HD-cast. It's always been OK for opera singers to give shouts out to their wives, husbands, and kids during the intermission features. It is not at all common for singers to say "love ya" to their same-sex partner, on movie screens transmitted world wide. While a non-issue for colleagues within the bubble, Woolfe is pointing out that this has been an issue outside the classical music and opera bubble.
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@RLM
Unfortunately Michael Tilson Thomas rang two of the three bells (gay and Jewish), and the BSO trustees couldn't see their way clear to hiring him. The orchestra deteriorated so much after that we gave up our subscription for years; Levine brought us back.
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The larger point from Woolfe's article is that times have changed in classical music and opera where one can now be more openly gay, as opposed to being quietly so. Here in STL, for example, the first two general directors of Opera Theater of St. Louis were gay. But they weren't open about it. Insiders here knew, but didn't talk about it. In other words, it was very much "don't ask, don't tell". Only after the 2nd OTSL general director retired from opera did press articles about him appear in STL that mentioned his partner.
By contrast, the newest OTSL general director, from this year, is open about his gay marriage, even in this reactionary right-wing state (albeit on one of the relatively liberal, open-minded state "coasts"). There has always been a gay underground of classical music and opera artists, but again, the key word is "underground".
In the recent HD-cast of 'La Traviata' a few weeks back, Peter Gelb made a casual reference to YNS' partner in their intermission feature, in keeping with the spirit of this article. Again, if you live in a liberal enclave where being gay is OK, this is not a big deal. But there are still plenty of pockets of homophobia in the USA. Plus, look who's in charge in DC now, thanks to them.
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Oh, my. This story reads as if it was written in about 1990. It’s been a long tme since I’ve assumed that a conductor must be a heterosexual white man. I send my best wishes to Mr. Nézet-Séguin and look forward to watching the Met evolve and thrive under his artistic leadership.
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Not married? That's an interesting statement in itself; one wonders about the reasoning. For my partner and me, marriage was a natural when the door opened in DC in 2013 (and in Virginia, our home state, a year later) both because of the nature of our commitment and for good tax reasons!
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@David They've been together for over 25 years. Same sex marriage became legal here in Canada in 2003. Probably like my partner and I, we never saw the need, nor the desire to get married. Of course that changed, when we decided that it was time for a party and what better excuse. (It just makes everything else easier).
Wonderful article. All the best to them.
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@David I agree it's odd--buit I've known decades-long heterosexual "partnerships", as well. I don't know exactly what legal differences there are in Canadian vs US domestic partnerships; it might be exactly the same legally. And being Quebecois, perhaps at least one of them is Catholic, which still frowns on same-sex marriage? Just speculating.
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I assume all conductors are gay unless I’m told otherwise. Why is this so “rare” as the author asserts??
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explain to me again what sexual orientation and gender has to do with the ability of anyone to do their job.
why stop at sexual orientation? how many jews are conductors? how about blacks? american indians?
this obsession with this stuff is sickening. god forbid we focus on merit. i mean, what is implied here?? that in nyc, in the year 2019, at the mecca of liberalism, we have a problem with anti-gay bias??? and so thank god, we finally hired a gay conductor, and that's why the NYT feels it's an important thing to report????
shameful. the emperor is wearing no clothes. i am truly embarrassed by this nonsense.
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@Ari Weitzner It actually does have something to do with it. Heterosexuals are naturally advantaged in society, in part because they may have families. But alpha males seem to be predominantly heterosexual and less common among gay men. I suspect it has to do with hormone levels. That gay men have traditionally taken secondary roles to leaders, male or female, is not just a matter of what society allows. I believe it is an innate quality. It may be that gay men need more support to become leaders than is generally available. It is harder to believe in yourself when you are Other. Or, more simply, having to deal with those issues is a distraction from achievement. So perhaps it is no coincidence that the most-closeted gay men in the past were the most successful ones.
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@Ari Weitzner
I seem to be seeing increasing pushback in the comments section about the NYT's emphasis, many of us think over-emphasis, on gender and sexual orientation and the many other groupings that get liberals' attention. I'm about as liberal as they get, but I think the NYT frequently turns an article that could be about a person or event into an opportunity to write about yet another perceived injustice. It would be nice if they got the message that not every story about an individual person has to be about any of the many groups to which that person belongs.
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@Jim Greenwood -- What "perceived injustice" could have led Bernstein and Levine to hide their sexuality? That should not be hard to answer.
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Please let us know when/if someone under age 75 buys a ticket and attends the opera. That would be exciting diversity-related news!
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@Philip Greenspun
I'm under 75, live in Los Angeles, and on several recent trips to NYC bought tickets to attend various productions at the Met Opera.
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@Philip Greenspun -
I'm under 75 and have been going to the opera for a long time.
Every time I attend the opera, I see a great many people in their 20s, 30s, 40s. I see parents bringing children to operas like "Cendrillon".
Frankly, the lack of diversity that I see is one of race. But that's a different article.
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@Philip Greenspun
Under 75 and regular Opera attendee, thank you very much.
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Uh. It's fascinating how this is News, in NYC of all places, and yet the Columbus Symphony's Music Director is a gay married man and it's never been much of a fuss, it just IS. Lovely article though, and his conducting is splendid
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@Nelson Harper But it's now in 2019 that it's not much of a fuss. In 1979, it most likely would have been a fuss. That's the basic point of this article.
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@The Other George W. I do understand. I sometimes have to catch myself up short because as one of three gay siblings, I sometimes forget how hard it has been for so many people - including my own husband who grew up in a fundamentalist family. I lived pretty much in a liberal bubble my whole life, and I hope I didn't sound insensitive to the plights of others in less loving surroundings.
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@Nelson Harper
Despite the liberal bubbles, there is still a world out there where OTHERS have to compete with the advantages of the white male. Sometimes with grossly unfair results. Nice article.
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Mr. Nezet-Seguin's journey represents a maturing of the general culture that is incredibly heartening, and this article in its own way is an indication of the growing maturity of the press. Thanks to all.
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