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Culture Minister appoints new Opera manager to settle conflict
Culture Minister Corina Suteu and other ministry officials were alongside Beatrice Rancea, appointed on Wednesday interim manager of the Bucharest National Opera House (ONB), in another attempt to settle a lengthy conflict between employees.
"I have not necessarily considered this a solemn moment. We must take it as a natural moment to relaunch the activity of the National Opera, and we hope a solemn celebration moment will be when — facing new premieres and new seasons launched by the National Opera — we can rejoice that things have been finally reorganised and relaunched," the minister told the ONB staff.
The Opera was practically closed lately, as some of its employees turned against Danish choreographer and ballet dancer Johan Kobborg and his friend, star ballerina Alina Cojocaru. A previous interim manager unlisted Kobborg as coordinator of the Opera's ballet, claiming that this position was not official. The former culture minister, Vlad Alexandrescu, failed to placate the protests by appointing other interims, and Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos eventually dismissed him early in May. Other conciliation attempts of Vice Prime Minister Vasile Dincu were also unsuccessful.
According to Suteu, "what happened at the Romanian Opera is also an opportunity to reorganise, restructure, facilitate and create a better legislative and administrative framework, not just for the ONB, but also for other show institutions countrywide." She praised Rancea for accepting the appointment in a difficult moment and for taking challenges.
Operetta Theatre soprano Patricia Seymour was also present. She had asked for a separation of the Ion Dacian National Operetta Theatre from the Bucharest National Opera House. The two institutions were merged by a government decision in 2013. Minister Suteu promised to initiate another decision to reverse the move, but insisted she needs first a manager's point of view.
The Opera staff insisted on the conflict with Kobborg, and Suteu said the decision now belongs to Rancea. "This will no longer be the ministry's responsibility. There will be a dialogue between Beatrice Rancea, Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru, and we, the minister, will assist, will mediate, will accompany this dialogue, and the decisions taken by the interim manager will be observed, Suteu answered mezzo-soprano Irina Iordachescu's specific questions.
Corina Suteu was accompanied by her newly appointed state secretary Lucian Varsandan and by her counselor Anghel Damian.