Champion of the opera
Sir: Charles Osborne is entitled to his views (Arts, 28 June), but does no favours to him- self or The Spectator by quoting hearsay about Mrs Duffield, chairman of the Royal Opera House Trust and Development Appeal, particularly about a disagreement between Mrs Duffield and Genista McIn- tosh which quite simply never occurred.
`I'll have to see some identification.' Vivien Duffield's commitment to the Royal Opera House is without parallel. She does not just lead our appeal (£62 million raised in six months towards a £100 million target), but is equally giving of her time towards a range of projects, from the detail of the development to education and out- reach work in support of Royal Ballet tour- ing.
Of course she has opinions, but she is also a generous colleague who enjoys debate and accepts the collective decision- making process. More than anyone she wants to see an Opera House that is not exclusive. However, her role as chairman of the Trust must be to represent the mem- bers' views and see that their vital support is acknowledged: not only are their dona- tions essential to the rebuilding, but the premium price they pay above the face value of their tickets enables us to keep a range of low prices and remain accessible to a wide cross-section of society.
Perhaps Mr Osborne misheard 'difficult' for 'dedicated'.
Keith Cooper
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2
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