Carie Delmar Punks the Huffington Post!

Oh dear, Carie Delmar, Los Angeles' raving anti-Wagner loon, at it again, this time under the pseudo-pseudonym "Carol Jean Delmar."

Somehow she's managed to convince the Huffington Post to publish her, giving her previously marginalized perspective a much greater audience than she deserves. Jumping on the anti-Domingo bandwagon as an excuse to take some cheap and inaccurate shots at LA Opera's Ring Cycle, Delmar's post is disingenuous on several fronts. I'll give her credit for one thing though- she's tenacious, crafty- and she just blew the credibility of one of the web's most heavily trafficked sites.

HuffPost readers who aren't that familiar with how opera companies work will read Delmar's statements and take them at face value. This is the largest issue I have with Huffington giving Delmar a forum to spew her slanted junk. For example, Delmar writes "Judging from the lineup, measures to cut the company's expenses seem to be in place. Many of the roles will be sung by lesser-known young singers." Like whom, Carie? Nino Machaidze???

Of course young, lesser-known singers fill the smaller roles to gain experience. That's the way all opera companies work and it's vital to the careers of the singers and the growth of the companies. But in a season that includes Sir Thomas Allen, William Burden, Charles Castronovo, Vladimir Chernov, Sarah Coburn, Plácido Domingo,George Gagnidze, Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, Paolo Gavanelli, Ben Heppner, Soile Isokoski, Nino Machaidze, Ann Murray, Daniel Okulitch, Marlis Petersen, Patricia Racette, Martina Serafin, Kristinn Sigmundsson, Bo Skovhus and Dolora Zajick, it's really inaccurate B.S. to imply LA Opera is fielding its season with B-List youngsters.

Delmar being Delmar, she can't help herself from trying to save the world from the evil-influence of Wagner's Ring. She implies LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich's ridiculous motion to "diversify" the Ring Festival (by including Mendelssohn!!!) was defeated because "other powerful members of the community had a vested interest in maintaining the status of the company and their status in it." When the Board voted on it, the motion received only vote of support- Antonovich's. That's a nice try at revisionist history Carie, but you've failed again.

You can read the rest of her slanted crap at the Huffington Post and you can continue to see her exposed here whenever possible.