Opera chief Charles MacKay says goodbye St. Louis

POST-DISPATCH CLASSICAL MUSIC CRITIC SANTA FE, N.M. — For a few more weeks, Charles MacKay is still the general director of Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He won't officially take over at Santa Fe Opera until Oct. 1, but he's been booked solid since arriving here in early July. "I'm planning (future seasons) and getting up to speed with board activities and donor events," he says. "I've had a lunch, dinner and-or a cocktail party every day since I've been here." MacKay, who is leaving Opera Theatre after 23 years at the helm, has set up an informal outdoor office at a table on the patio of the Cantina dining area overlooking one of the Opera's famous mountain views. Nearby, young singers conferred with vocal coaches on musical passages. Other members of the company splashed with their children in a swimming pool just down the... [read full story]