Education
Born in Stockholm, Gentele studied from 1944 until 1946 at the Dramatens elevskola, beginning a brief career as a film actor not long afterwards.
Born in Stockholm, Gentele studied from 1944 until 1946 at the Dramatens elevskola, beginning a brief career as a film actor not long afterwards.
He was the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1972. He soon turned to directing, working for a time at the Royal Dramatic Theatre and then at the Royal Swedish Opera, where his more notable productions included Gian Carlo Menotti"s The Consul and Karl-Birger Blomdahl"s Aniara. He became director of the company in 1963.
He succeeded Sir Rudolf Bing as director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1972.
A third daughter was injured, as was Gentele"s wife, Marit. Schuyler Chapin, Gentele"s assistant, was named acting director almost at once.
Despite the fact that he had been in office only a few weeks at his death, several of Gentele"s plans for the company were implemented under Chapin. The most notable of these was a new production of Georges Bizet"s Carmen designed for Marilyn Horne.
This was used to open the 1972-1973 season.
Gentele was the second general director of the Metropolitan, behind Herbert Witherspoon, to die before the opening night of his first season with the company.
