“A longtime editor at Opera News, Brian [Kellow] left behind an extraordinary legacy within the magazine’s pages—thirty years’-worth of news features, personality profiles, reviews and opinion pieces, every one of them lit by a writerly spark that was uniquely his own,” writes Fred Cohn on Sunday (7/22) at Opera News. Kellow died on July 22 of brain cancer. He was 59. “He was also the author of a series of dazzling biographies exploring the lives of Pauline Kael, Sue Mengers, Ethel Merman and Hollywood’s Bennett sisters. Growing up in Oregon, Brian studied piano…. He [graduated] from Oregon State University in 1982 and soon started working at the 92nd Street Y, initially as assistant to Omus Hirshbein, its director of performing arts, then as the Y’s publications editor. He came to Opera News as an assistant editor in 1988, moving on to become managing editor and then executive editor…. He brought major authors into the magazine’s fold; the imposing list includes Elizabeth Hardwick, Thomas Mallon, Jan Morris, May Sarton, Reynolds Price and Colm Tóibín.… After leaving Opera News in 2016, Brian became public relations manager at Florida Grand Opera… He is survived by his husband, stage director and acting coach Scott Barnes.”
Posted July 24, 2018
