"I have no other plans than to be with my loved ones," says the Venezuelan conductor. "There is no immediate urgency" to replace him, says the director general of the Opera.
"It would be a shame if his history with the Opera ended there," adds Alexander Neef. The 42-year-old is a member of the National System of Youth Orchestras of Venezuela. He has also conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Coldplay in the U.S.