Just when we thought nothing could happen about the Opera General Manager app, suddenly more bombs fell into the air. Current CEO Szilveszter Ókovács appears to be in an amazing back battle, moving every stone to stay in his seat. In addition, it turns out that Erika Miklósa took on the role of judge in a talent show on a commercial channel, and if we take a closer look at Dániel Vadász’s work, many things that have remained in the shadows until now come to light: commercial activities, government subsidies, government relations.
As we wrote earlier, three out of eleven candidates – after a two-day series of tests – were deemed by the Professional Evaluation Committee to be suitable for the head of the Opera House:
Conductor Gergely Kiseliak, opera singer Erika Mikluza, and barrister Daniel Vadas, in that order. Szilveszter Ókovács was not among those who came forward.
The election process is as follows: On behalf of the supervisor, the Minister of Culture and Innovation Janos Csak will first hear the opinion of the commission live – this will take place on Monday, May 8, 2023 – and then he will speak to the potential candidates. In addition to those that the committee considers appropriate, it can invite and listen to any person, and then make a decision in favor of someone who has not been recommended by the reviewers. You must make your decision by May 27, 2023.
Erika Mikluza and voice
The panel judged Erika Mikluza as the second most suitable candidate. On March 28, 2023, the opera singer announced on Facebook that he had submitted his application for the position of general manager of the Opera House, and cited some ideas from it, but did not comment on his plans. On the other hand, you can follow what he is doing on his social media page: he participated in the gala dinner of the Hungarian Wine Academy, was elected ambassador of Lake Tisza, and between the two it was revealed that he will be from RTL. latest talent search, the sound one of his faces.
Therefore, in addition to being the head of one of the largest Hungarian public cultural institutions, it is no less important for an opera singer to appear on a commercial channel:
You can take light music seriously. I’ll do it in jury. And since talent hunting has become my passion in the past few years, I’m going to be a classic mentor here: determined, tireless and dynamic. Thank you for allowing me to be a member of The Voice jury, and more specifically one of the coaches – along with Nora Trokán, Curtis and Manuel.
– he writes on his Facebook page. However, the traditionally conservative world of classical music – and it really is Gifted He also found it very commercial, as he was also a judge – he has a bad eye for his involvement with rappers. According to them, this makes the general manager app frivolous, and also very busy. In addition, Erika Miklósa on Duna Television – with András Batta – prof History of Hungarian Music hosts the show.
Daniel Vadász is flying
Even more interesting is the situation of Dániel Vadász, considered by many to be a “dark horse”, in the sense that he could even be general manager, but perhaps also in the sense that little has been said about his country. Activities outside the world of opera in connection with his request, about government subsidies and government relations.
Dániel Vadász has also sung at the State Opera, the Budapest Opera Theatre, and the Debrecen and Szeged opera companies. After his singing career, he worked as artistic director in his own companies, created the Buddavari Palace concert series, and was the co-producer of Gifted PBS, in association with American Media (PBS), and is the producer of several music TV shows. As part of the Coopera, he has performed several operas with companies and country festivals. He is the artistic director of the Debrecen Festive Games, the Vienna International New Year Program Series, the Trieste Operetta Festival and the Ramon Vargas Academy of Bel Canto. He has organized hundreds of foreign guest recitals from concerts and musical theater productions around the world.
The producer and director is the director of the Coopera Mövészeti Nonprofit Közhhasznú Kft. and managing director of Operettissima Nonprofit Közhhasznú Kft. Looking at the list of decisions of additional support to performing arts organizations, it becomes clear that in June 2021, for example, Operettissima received 24.5 forints – in addition to 76.7 million forints, and in February 2022 the Ministry supported Operettissima with 60 million forints and Coopera with 120 million forints . In December 2021, based on the decision of NKA Petőfi 200 Temporary College, Coopera won HUF 142 million for writing and creating a new opera Sándor Petőfi domestic hammer Based on his work, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the author’s birth.
Committee members seconded from the ministry had to know about all the grants.
In addition, Dániel Vadász has a serious relationship with Attila Vidnyánszky, General Director of the National Theatre. Coopera created the show Bánk bán directed by Vidnyánszky in 2020 with the participation of local and international artists, who then toured all over the Carpathian Basin. Vadász is also the Communications Director for the Xth Theater Olympiad currently underway and founded by Vidnyánszky.
However, Dániel Vadász’s scope of activity does not end here: he is co-founder and member of the board of directors of Aeroexpress, which will open its wings in September 2022, and its owner and manager is music conductor Dániel Somogyi-Tóth, music director of Aeroexpress. Debrecen Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra and Csokonai Theatre.
At the time of the launch, Levente Magyar, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was quick to point out that the activities of the airline, which starts flights connecting Budapest with Cluj and Debrecen with Cluj and Marosvasarhel, meet the government. Desire to facilitate contact between the motherland and Transylvania. According to the politician, the government is committed to the development of flights, which is also supported by the European Union, and will do everything possible to ensure that the trial period that has just begun “is not a one-time dream for a few months, but a reality that will remain with us.”
The government’s sympathy remained as, according to a news report from early April 2023, it had prepared the legislation – hitherto lost – needed to operate the hovercraft, which hvg Prefer specifically Aeroexpress: the design is written for a specific type of seaplane, and only this group of companies has one in Hungary.
Thus, the question is to what extent Daniel Vadasz’s extensive commercial activities – similar to Erika Mikluza’s position as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Mol-Új Európa Foundation – will be significant when the position of Managing Director is granted.
Szilveszter Ókovács does not give up
Opera singer Andrea Rust was among eleven nominees, who announced on Facebook that she would leave the decision to the universe from now on: “I had one of the most inspiring, intense and informative weeks of my life. I did everything I felt worth working for. From now on, I leave The matter is for the universe. Everything will be fine as it happens!” Rust was not among those recommended by the committee despite the fact that his application had been praised and found to be good at hearing.
Szilveszter Ókovács does not give up, does not consider the game over, he does everything to maintain his position as general manager. Whether this works may be as early as next week, but it will surely be known by May 27, 2023.
(Cover photo: Erika Mikluza on May 22, 2022. Photo: Anikó Kovács/MTI)
