Just in: Countryhouse opera loses its head
OperaMichael Chance is stepping down at Grange Festival.
From the press release:
Since the formation of the festival in 2017 Michael has led the company, both as Artistic Director and CEO, and re-created a festival, The Grange Festival, at its glorious home under the most challenging of circumstances….
With the arrival of Tyler Stoops as Chief Executive in 2024 and in partnership with Michael Chance, the 2025 Festival is clear evidence of a new direction and a significant increase in performances and attendances.
Historical note: The festival was founded by Wasfi Kani. Since she fell out with the owners and created a vibrant event in Surrey, the Hampshire venue has struggled to make its mark.
Wasfi Kani founded Grange Park Opera; Michael Chance founded The Grange Festival.
Oh, come on Simon, we all know that Wasfi stormed out of the Grange in Alresford in a huff (leaving barely so much as a seat or a lightbulb behind) after falling out with the Barings; Michael Chance was drafted in to take over. Wasfi insisted that the GPO name was hers, and started using is in Surrey (there’s no reason for the Surry venture to be called GPO).
I admire Wasfi’s achievements, and her exit may well have been justified, we can’t know the detail. But to pretend that Michael’s festival is a different new creation is nonsense. It was and is the same opera festival, with a familiar shape to it, and very much the same team under him delivering it; the indefatigable Michael Moody leading the charge under both directors.
Michael has managed to make ‘Old Grange’ a much friendlier and more welcoming place, with high quality productions delivered with excellence. It can be less than ideal to get there, but always a very good night out. I’ll be sorry to see him leave, and trust that the team can build on his good work.
(Attendance at Wasfi’s ‘new’ Grange is intriguingly strong. As a night out, it features the highest priced fizz of all the country-house operas (treat that as a marker for all the food and beverage offerings, with meagre portions too) and the least competent house orchestra by a long way. The underpaid and overworked chorus deliver little better. The presence of star names in title roles keeps the audience coming, but I have yet to really enjoy the experience there.)
Yet again, NL can’t help but make negative comments and rake up past events. Grange Park Opera and the owner of The Grange parted company some years ago but that isn’t relevant here. Michael has done a good job but, having turned 70, has decided to retire.
“Vibrant”? The Boccanegra was a poor 2nd this year to the Opera North staging, and they had second-raters Mark Shanahan and Stephen Barlow conducting!! They pay ridiculous sums to get the likes of Terfel and Keenlyside, questionable in their level these days, because their audience loves to think it’s getting ‘stars’ but the rest of the casting is standard and they don’t pay very well.