Today it was announced that on September 30 th , 2020, I will be taking early retirement from my role at Opera Holland Park. Ernest Hemingway once said that 'retirement is the ugliest word in the language' and in recent months, as I contemplated my own, I have come to know what he meant. Even though it is merely a word to describe my departure from Opera Holland Park after thirty-one years, it does 'catch' a bit. Which brings me onto George Burns who said that 'retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples.' I still have metaphorical pimples and remain as childish as ever, so I'm sticking with George's philosophy. I'm not retiring in the conventional sense. I am retiring from Opera Holland Park, a formal, recognised conclusion of a life's work. It says 'my work here is done', not that my working life is. There are one or two big projects still in me. I am grateful to th...
Michael Volpe Thoughts and opinions including the odd review of places. My personal views are expressed here. Inappropriate comments will be removed, including my own. "Noisy at the wrong times" new edition published in September 2015 on Two Roads