holders frequently imposed themselves upon general managers of the house ( Fiedler , 2003 ). They assured the general manager of the house knew that their funds allowed the doors to remain open . This would bring the aforementioned dissonance between the box holders and the creative directors of the house . An internal conflict in 1906 nearly split the factions of the opera house in half . According to Fielder , a conflict of interest between the box holders regarding the relationship between artistic direction and financial gain . Opera Company board member Eliot Gregory is quoted saying , “ The performances are better and better , and yet the [ Real Estate ] box holders are kicking like mules .” ( Fielder , 2003 ).
This division between the box holders and the creative team of the opera house culminated in the 1906 production of Richard Strauss ’, Salome . The opera , which centers around King Herrod ’ s daughter , Salome , and her relationship with John The Baptist was initially deemed too “ salacious ” for the company to perform ( Fielder , 2003 ). However , a young board member eventually convinced the box holders that the opera had international acclaim and that it should be put on ( Fielder , 2003 ). However , it seems as though the initial reservations of the board may have been correct as the production was met with widespread harsh criticism , including condemnation from the daughter of J . P . Morgan ( Fielder , 2003 ). In fact Morgan ’ s daughter was so taken aback by the production that she convinced her father to advise the board to cancel the remaining performances of the opera ( Fielder , 2003 ). The performances were indeed canceled , which led to a great deal of distaste and distrust from the performers within the company regarding their governing body . They were so upset that they refused to take the money offered by J . P . Morgan to account for any losses from the cancellation of the
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