After her illustrious career as a soprano, Beverly Sills turned around The New York City Opera as its General Director. In 1994 she took on an even greater challenge as the head of Lincoln Center Inc., an umbrella organization for the center’s 12 resident groups. The current negotiations for a redevelopment plan have revealed the differing hopes and needs of the groups, putting Sills in the middle of the feuds and maneuverings that turn the backstage world of the performing arts into any other business with its share of politics. The NY Times Magazine speculates that Sills, now 72, would like to retire (in fact, she said in a Horizon Magazine article “I don’t intend to do nothing when I’m past 70”) but that she wants to leave on her requisite high note. Unfortunately, the internal squabbling and City Opera’s hopes for a better theatre (as they sing on stage muffled for dancers’ feet) has added years to her tenure, and the article also mentions her need for an escape valve from a home life full of family health problems. But she may leave as soon as a new president is found (the last was either asked to leave or resigned), and perhaps then she can finally enjoy life from the audience in front of the stage instead.