Francis Menotti
Encyclopedia
Francis "Chip" Menotti is an actor and former figure skater who was the president and artistic director of Festival dei Due Mondi
.
in New York, and participated in the American Shakespeare Festival.
In the mid-1960s, the Pulitzer Prize
-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti
began working frequently with Phelan, then a young actor and figure skater. Phelan began to appear in many of Gian Carlo Menotti's performances. He appeared as a mime in such Menotti operas as The Medium
, The Saint of Bleecker Street
and The Egg. The two developed a relationship, and in 1974, Gian Carlo Menotti legally adopted Phelan, known as Chip, as his son. Francis Phelan took the last name of Menotti.
On August 24, 1985, at Yester Parish Church
, in Gifford, East Lothian
, Scotland
, Francis Menotti married Malinda Fitler Murphy (1960–2005), the youngest daughter of Dr. James S. Murphy and his former wife, Happy
, the widow of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller. Gian Carlo Menotti's nearby home, Yester House
, was given to the couple as a wedding present.
The Menottis had two sons, Claudio (born 1987) and Cosimo (born 1991). Malinda Menotti died on 24 October 2005.
in Spoleto
, Italy, which his father, Gian Carlo Menotti, founded in 1958. He was named president of the Festival in 1994, and artistic director in 1999. However, the love that the organizations putting on the Festival (such as the City of Spoleto and the Festival Foundation) had for the father did not transfer to the son. Tensions arose between the Menotti family and these organizations, and private and corporate funding and attendance at the Spoleto Festival has declined significantly under the younger Menotti's leadership. In his will, Gian Carlo Menotti bequeathed the Festival to his son; however, immediately after the death of Gian Carlo in February 2007, when full ownership was acquired by Francis, efforts to oust Francis from the organization became explicit and forceful.
Festival dei Due Mondi
The Festival dei Due Mondi ' is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958...
.
Early years and personal life
A son of Francis J. Phelan of Philadelphia, Phelan studied at the Goodman Theater in Chicago, and with Lee StrasbergLee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
in New York, and participated in the American Shakespeare Festival.
In the mid-1960s, the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
began working frequently with Phelan, then a young actor and figure skater. Phelan began to appear in many of Gian Carlo Menotti's performances. He appeared as a mime in such Menotti operas as The Medium
The Medium
The Medium is a short two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946. The opera's first professional production was presented on a double bill with Menotti's The Telephone at the Heckscher...
, The Saint of Bleecker Street
The Saint of Bleecker Street
The Saint of Bleecker Street is an opera in three acts by Gian Carlo Menotti to an original English libretto by the composer. It was first performed at The Broadway Theatre in New York City on December 27, 1954. David Poleri and Davis Cunningham alternated in the role of Michele, and Thomas...
and The Egg. The two developed a relationship, and in 1974, Gian Carlo Menotti legally adopted Phelan, known as Chip, as his son. Francis Phelan took the last name of Menotti.
On August 24, 1985, at Yester Parish Church
Yester Parish Church
Yester Parish Church is a church of the Church of Scotland in the village of Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland. The village forms part of Yester Parish, and is a linked charge which combines the parishes of Bolton & Saltoun, and Humbie.- History and design :...
, in Gifford, East Lothian
Gifford, East Lothian
Gifford is a village in the parish of Yester in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies approximately 4 miles south of Haddington and 25 miles east of Edinburgh.-History:...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Francis Menotti married Malinda Fitler Murphy (1960–2005), the youngest daughter of Dr. James S. Murphy and his former wife, Happy
Margaretta Fitler Murphy Rockefeller
Margaretta Large Fitler Murphy Rockefeller , known as Happy Rockefeller, is the widow of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller , who was the 41st Vice President of the United States of America and a Governor of New York...
, the widow of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller. Gian Carlo Menotti's nearby home, Yester House
Yester House
Yester House is an early 18th-century mansion near Gifford in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the home of the Hay family, later Marquesses of Tweeddale, from the 15th century until the 1970s. Construction of the present house began in 1699, and continued well into the 18th century in a series of...
, was given to the couple as a wedding present.
The Menottis had two sons, Claudio (born 1987) and Cosimo (born 1991). Malinda Menotti died on 24 October 2005.
Festival dei Due Mondi
Menotti is currently best known for his past involvement with the Festival dei Due MondiFestival dei Due Mondi
The Festival dei Due Mondi ' is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958...
in Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
, Italy, which his father, Gian Carlo Menotti, founded in 1958. He was named president of the Festival in 1994, and artistic director in 1999. However, the love that the organizations putting on the Festival (such as the City of Spoleto and the Festival Foundation) had for the father did not transfer to the son. Tensions arose between the Menotti family and these organizations, and private and corporate funding and attendance at the Spoleto Festival has declined significantly under the younger Menotti's leadership. In his will, Gian Carlo Menotti bequeathed the Festival to his son; however, immediately after the death of Gian Carlo in February 2007, when full ownership was acquired by Francis, efforts to oust Francis from the organization became explicit and forceful.