Sure I'm a hypocrite, but George Steel is a liar. Which is worse?

In case you haven't heard, George Steel (general director of the Dallas Opera since October) just ditched Dallas for NYC. Cue indignant ranting in the Dallas arts scene about unfulfilled contracts and blatant lies. In the fall there were rumors that Steel was being considered to head the New York City Opera. Steel repeatedly refuted the reports. So, is this a case of a genuine (if somewhat sappy) change of heart prompted by Christmasy reminiscing (as he claimed in an interview with Scott Cantrell of the Dallas Morning News), or was he just feeding us all a hefty dose of bullshit?

And does it matter?

The man made a personal decision. Sure, it was a pretty shitty thing to do to Dallas. And sure, I felt a fair share of indignation myself when I read the news yesterday. The Winspear is going to be incredible and provides a concrete reason to be genuinely excited about what can happen in the very near future for opera, music, and the arts in general in Dallas. I even wonder if G.S. will regret this decision if someone else comes in and makes a name for themselves revamping the Dallas Opera. But then again, I also don't blame him...

At the risk of offending friends and neighbors, let me explain. Dallas has many of the resources that a city needs to have a thriving artistic center/culture. By resources, I mean facilities, donors, patrons, talent, audience, money, etc. But here's the thing: Dallas does not have a thriving artistic center or culture. Why? I don't know. Sometimes it baffles me.

Or maybe I do know... I think the problem lies primarily in the audience and the cultural values of the region in general. I know I'm making broad generalizations here. And yes, there are individuals - even small communities within this city - who are thoughtful and educated and care deeply about the arts among other things (i.e. the environment, education, politics, etc.). However, one doesn't have to look hard to find evidence of a city that primarily values money, clothes, cars, and football. It often seems to me that even those who attend the symphony, opera, museums, etc. seem to do so because they feel they should in order to "be cultured," rather than because of a genuine interest in music or art. Again, I know I'm over simplifying (and being a bit of a bitch), but the general lack of cultural stimulation/interest in this city gets me down sometimes. It doesn't have to be this way, and yet changing the fundamental culture of a city seems like quite an uphill battle. It's probably easier just to move, say, to NYC.

That being said, George Steel is a lying !$#&*@ %&@#$&....