Opera board still looking for donors

The board of the San Diego Opera held a four-and-a-half-hour emergency meeting today (March 31). Ian Campbell, head of the opera, brought three lawyers with him. Marc Scorca of Opera America also attended. The plans to dissolve the opera remain in effect, but the board will continue to seek donors so that those plans can be canceled and the organization can hold its 50th anniversary season in 2015. If the opera closes as scheduled, Ian and his ex-wife Ann Campbell, second in command, will get "zero dollars — no payment, nothing," according to my source.

This is consistent with what the chairwoman of the board, Karen Cohn, told me several days ago. All the assets of the company will be turned over to assignees. The first group of creditors will be singers signed up for the 2015 season. The second group will be those singers signed up for 2016. "Ian signs contracts two years in advance," says this source. "When the opera stops functioning and does not make a performance, there are negotiations with singers and agents [who have already been signed up]." Apparently, answers to some of the questions posed by eight board members were answered, although they asked for detailed records that should have to be produced.