Gerard Mortier, incoming director of New York City Opera, “comes from a European tradition in which the opera house is the home for opera and ballet, as well as academies. … His job in Paris has required a broad perspective and the insight to encourage creative thinking about presenting the arts as a whole. What’s exciting about his impending arrival is that his sort of background brings the promise of crossing over, reaching out, collaborating with, and delving into as much as possible from his post at City Opera.”