French opera manager
Hugues Randolph Gall (born 18 March 1940) is a French opera manager, former head of the Grand Théâtre de Genève and the Paris Opera.
Career
Born in Honfleur, after his studies at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris and at the Sorbonne in German literature, Gall began his career in the offices of Edgar Faure at the Ministry of Agriculture and then at the Ministry of National Education; in the latter position, he was responsible for artistic education. He then created the music program of the baccalaureate and the artistic department of the University of Vincennes. He then joined the cabinet of Edmond Michelet, Minister of State in charge of Cultural Affairs.
General secretary of the Réunion des théâtres lyriques nationaux [fr] from 1969, he was assistant to Rolf Liebermann at the Paris Opera from 1973 to 1980. He was then director of the Grand Théâtre de Genève from 1980 to 1995, and finally director of the Paris Opera from 1995 to 2004.[1]
On 18 December 2002, Gall was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in the chair previously occupied by Daniel Wildenstein. From September 2004 to 2010, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institut pour le financement du cinéma et des industries culturelles [fr].[2] From 2005 to 2009, he was an extraordinary State Councillor; Vice-President of the Nureyev Foundation[3] until 2009, member of the Board of the Veolia Environnement Corporate Foundation until 2011 and still a member of the Chambre Professionnelle des Directions d'Opéra[4](CPDO). From 2002 to 2008, he chaired the jury of the International singing competition of Toulouse. In March 2008, he was elected by his colleagues at the Académie des Beaux-Arts as director of the Fondation Monet in Giverny and was re-elected to this position for a period of 5 years in March 2013.
At the end of March 2008, Gall was appointed chairman of the committee responsible for filling the position of director of the Villa Médicis in Rome. This commission (known as the "Gall Commission") was thus responsible for establishing the criteria for the admissibility of applications according to the needs of Villa Médicis, then interviewing the candidates corresponding to these criteria and proposing a list of personalities deemed suitable for the position.
The "Gall Commission" was composed of Paul Andreu, architect, Edmonde Charles-Roux, writer, Patrice Chéreau, director, Pascal Dusapin, composer, Marc Fumaroli, historian, Jean Guéguinou, Ambassador of France, Maurice Quénet [fr], recteur d'académie [fr], Brigitte Lefèvre, Director of Dance at the Paris Opera Ballet, and of Muriel Mayette, General Administrator of the Comédie-Française. In May 2008, of the three candidates selected and presented at the choice of the President of the Republic, it was Frédéric Mitterrand who was appointed Director of the Académie de France à Rome, which therefore marked the end of the "Gall Commission".
Since 2008, Gall has been a member of the Council of the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur and is President of the Orchestre français des jeunes (FOJ), an institution created in 1982, funded by the Ministry of Culture and in residence at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in Aix en Provence.
On 28 October 2010, he was appointed for a 5-year term as a qualified person chosen for their expertise in environmental and sustainable development issues at the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE).[5] He is a member of the Commission des Affaires Étrangères et Européennes of the French parliament.
On 17 February 2010, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing announced Gall's participation in the commission for reflection on the future of the Hôtel de la Marine chaired by the former President of the Republic. This commission brought together twelve personalities, members of the Institut de France, historians, former ministers and heads of cultural institutions.[6] His report was submitted to the President of the Republic in July 2010, thus signing the dissolution of this temporary committee.
Finally, Gall is a member of several boards of directors, including the board of directors of the Château de Fontainebleau, the Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner, the Summer Academies of Nice and the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny [fr]. He is also a member of the cultural council of the Monnaie de Paris and the strategic reflection council of the Réunion des musées nationaux.
