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Opera board still looking for donors
I believe it. I find it interesting that board members say the media is hurting the San Diego Opera. Why would they care if they are shutting down the opera for good? Sounds like they don't like their reputations getting dinged. I say, good. Maybe it will spur them on to do something right for a change. Stop worrying about the mess you are desperately hanging on to -- it can't be saved in its current form. Go be a hero by making drastic changes and saving opera in this town.— April 2, 2014 6:39 p.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
The strategy did indeed flop. But again, it will take a lot of effort to overcome the closing of SDO and we still haven't heard about any potential alternatives for the company. We all know the weak call for $10M isn't a real strategy. Have you heard about current board members pledging $1M on the spot? Yeah, I haven't either. The people who are angry -- staff, patrons, community -- need another vision to get behind. They can throw their energy into making the new vision succeed. Otherwise, the anger will dissipate. It always does. And then opera in San Diego will be over. Most likely, for a good long while.— April 2, 2014 12:05 p.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
I think the only hope at this point is that the board members who are not in the inner circle are really mad -- let's face it, no one on the board looks good right now and they have their reputations to protect if they want to stay in this town -- and they try to make it right. I don't trust that anyone on the board knows what to do yet, though. They only started to think about it when the petition numbers went up and there was a media storm. Perhaps that is where the Opera America folk can be most helpful. Talking to that group outside of the full board meeting. Don, if you can find out who on the board is now part of this special committee, that would be great. There are a few names that I don't think anyone wants to see on that committee.— April 2, 2014 8:46 a.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
SDO's seasons are planned several years in advance. It used to be 4 years in advance but now it seems to be 2-3 years out. I'm not saying they planned this for years. But months, yes. If you announce earlier in the season, you risk people not paying their pledges right away. If you announce now, you get people who might flock to see the final performance, a tough sell compared to other operas. Announce at the time you can maximize revenue to pay off expenses, and minimize the news cycle.— April 1, 2014 9:40 p.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
The decision is only abrupt to us outsiders. When I read the minutes, posted elsewhere, for both the early March board meeting (a "normal" meeting) and then for the emergency meeting, one thing becomes very clear to me. The decision to shut down was made some time ago. The minutes clearly show that the decision to shut down was presented as a done deal to the board - the staff meeting to inform them had already been called, the press release was already written, and the UT had already been notified. (That not a single board member, as there were many who were not already privy to the decision, asked a question about why this decision was made is on them and needs its own post. The only questions were about how the dissolution would work.) Think about it this way: You are leading this organization, all you see are signs that point to the fact that you can't keep operating the company the way you know how to run it, and it seems hopeless. When would you make the announcement?— April 1, 2014 9:16 p.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
I would like to see opera survive in San Diego. While it seems important to get to the bottom of what has already happened, so we can understand how we got to this place, even more important to the survival of opera in this town, is the need for a leader to emerge who is the voice of what could be. It is painfully obvious that the current leaders, in management and on the board, cannot solve the problem, as they have not been able to do so in the three years they have been looking at the problem. Two extra weeks won't solve that. And quite honestly, the people who are upset with the decisions that have been made (and they have every right to be upset) aren't proposing any viable solutions. It isn't enough to say they want the leaders gone. Let's say you get rid of them. Then what?— April 1, 2014 5:31 p.m.