Force Majeure'd: The Story of Margarethe Arndt-Ober

The "German she-devil" who sued the Met for breach of contract — in 1917

Earlier this year, faced with an unprecedented event, the Metropolitan Opera cancelled the remainder of its 2019-20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The slow death of the final months of the season, issued in bits until it became clear that reopening at all this spring would be ill-advised, came with the notification that all soloists would forfeit their fees. Shortly thereafter, the Met also furloughed its orchestra and chorus (who are paid on salary), citing force majeure. 

The slippery nature of force majeure sparked an international debate on how singers are paid, when they’re paid, and what happens when the unexpected arrives. While the Met continued its season during the Spanish Flu outbreak in the beginning of the 20th Century, it did have some experience in that time with a furlough on a smaller scale. But even then, it was enough to lead one of its most acclaimed mezzo-sopranos to fight back, suing the company for breach of contract. The effects of the whole affair would l…