Peter Gelb is a legendary musical impresario. He started as an usher at the Metropolitan Opera when he was a teenager. At 17 he went to work as Sol Hurok’s office boy. He grew up to manage the Boston Symphony’s historic 1979 tour of China at the end of the Cultural Revolution; he revived Vladimir Horowitz’s concert career in 1980 and produced the famed pianist’s historic return to Russia in 1986. His experiences are extensive and varied: his films, recordings, broadcasts, concerts and festivals have won numerous awards (Emmys, Peabodys, Grammys), and his artistic collaborators have included Rostropovich, Horowitz, Wynton Marsalis, Mel Brooks, Seiji Ozawa, Placido Domingo, Tan Dun, Julie Taymor, James Levine and many, many others. Returning to his roots, he took over as General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera in 2006 and immediately began to launch initiatives aimed at revitalizing opera and connecting it to a wider audience. Peter is 53, is married to conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson and has two sons.
