Royal Opera House

London, England

Michael M. Kaiser, 2005

In the midst of a major renovation, faced with a projected $30 million accumulated deficit, and public calls for an end to the organization, the new executive director of the Royal Opera House faced a seemingly insurmountable array of challenges. A reinvention of public perception and a targeted fundraising strategy were needed to restore the health of the world famous institution.

Simply told, the story of my becoming Executive Director of the Royal Opera House goes like this: I heard the job was open through an article in The New York Times, I sent a letter to the Chairman asking to be considered and I was asked to a series of interviews after which I was offered the job.

This account, though accurate, leaves out many illuminating details. After I read The New York Times story that Mary Allen had resigned as Chief Executive, I happened to bump into Lady Deborah MacMillan and David Watson in the ABT lobby. Deborah, the widow of the great British choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan, was on the Board of American Ballet Theatre. David, the agent for the MacMillan ballets, had become a friend and colleague. I mentioned that I had heard that Mary was leaving and Deborah said that she thought I would make a good replacement. While I was, of course, flattered, the possibility seemed incredibly remote at the time: I was American, I had never run an opera house, and I was an unknown, in both Great Britain and the “opera world.” Deborah suggested I write to Sir Colin Southgate, the new Chairman of the Royal Opera House, and express my interest. She said she would call him to recommend me.

I wrote to Sir Colin, who had been Chairman for about one month and who also served as Chairman of EMI, expressing my interest. Quite honestly, I did not expect a reply.

A few days later I received a call from Sir Colin’s office. Would I have time to have lunch in New York with Lord Eatwell, a member of the Opera House Board? Of course I would.

Lord Eatwell and I were to meet in a small Italian restaurant in lower Manhattan. I expected to meet the older, stiff, upper-crust lord portrayed in costume dramas, maybe not in a powdered wig but not far off either. Instead I encountered a young, handsome, energetic man filled with good will. We had a long talk about the organization, especially the Royal Ballet. Lord Eatwell was the chair of the Ballet Board, a sub-committee of the Opera House Board, and a long-time dance enthusiast. He had chaired two dance organizations in London and was anxious to discuss the contemporary ballet scene. He also discussed the current mess at the Opera House. In recent months, the Opera House had gone through three chief executives, and the resignation of a Chairman, faced possible bankruptcy and was a national joke.

I was right at home discussing dance and I gave my normal turn-around speech. We got on famously and while I knew that did not mean I would even make it to the finals for the job, I felt that I had put on a good show.

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