Drew McManus on the Orchestra business | est. 2003

Governance

It Is Deadline Day For San Diego Opera

Mon, May 5, 2014
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Update: 1:08pm CT: The San Diego Opera has announced that they will stay open for business and they have posted details for the 20115 season which includes productions of La Boheme, Don Giovanni, Nixon In China, and a 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert. Today marks the self-imposed deadline for the San Diego Opera (SDO) to reach

A Tale Of Two Disasters

Mon, May 5, 2014
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Arguably, the orchestra field’s two nastiest labor disputes at larger budget orchestras since the economic downturn have been the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra; and now that the latter has seemingly tied up the last of the most prominent loose ends, it will be interesting to juxtapose how each organization manages to cope

SDO’s Campbell Is Out But Not Gone

Mon, Apr 4, 2014
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The San Diego Opera (SDO) is one step closer to defusing the self-destruct mechanism triggered by its recently departed executive board members and General and Artistic Director and CEO Ian Campbell. In a 4/25/2014 press statement, the SDO announced that Campbell and Ann Spira Campbell, SDO Deputy General Director (and Ian Campbell’s ex-wife), have been

SDO Mass Board Exodus But Controversial Exec Remains

Mon, Apr 4, 2014
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Following last week’s board meeting at the San Diego Opera (SDO), several key board members responsible for the initial decision to shut down the company resigned, including SDO Board President Karen Cohn. This doesn’t come as an unexpected surprise but the real curiosity here is the retention of the company’s general and artistic director, Ian

A New Voice Emerges In The San Diego Opera Saga

Thu, Apr 4, 2014
Adaptistration Singer
The 4/15/2014 edition of The San Diego Union-Tribune published an article by Pam Kragen that examines recent developments at the San Diego Opera (SDO). Of particular interest is news of a new voice in the discussion that may be just what the situation needs to embrace a new plan capable of keeping the company going.
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