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Eleven opera board members demand information
A post from a UT opinion piece by William Purvis stated that 8 new board members were added a couple of months ago, they did not have to donate the $25,000 ordinarily required to be on the board, and they were "instrumental" in making the quorum of voters that decided to shut down SD Opera. (I shared this, and more info in comments section of your article on the letter that was sent to Ian Campbell and Karen Cohn).— March 31, 2014 11:02 a.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
While it is possible all those interested already know this, I will pass something along that I learned from a comment in the UT. For those interested, it is a comment on the William Purvis piece, "Opera drama: We must fight to keep it alive". (If you want to track it down, make sure you find the one that is datelined 3/29, because that one has comments. The 3/30 datelined article does not have comments). The person mentions that eight individuals became board members two months ago, were not required to make the $25,000 donation that had been required of board members, were "instrumental" in making the quorum, and all voted in favor of shutting down SD Opera at the emergency meeting. Additionally, it was said that this had only been the second or third board meeting these eight had ever attended. The person posting did so around midnight Sunday night, and also suggested that reporters should "look into, verify and question the legitimacy of this quorum's vote". That's one method of ensuring the outcome you want on a vote! I mention this here because it has become more difficult to find the three opera articles that were featured online in the UT; I needed to do a search and even then keep digging. So it would be unlikely for many more people to read this person's comments unless someone was really trying. This helps to build the case (in my mind at least) that Ian Campbell had been putting this together for a while, despite planning the future season and giving the impression that everything was humming along just fine.— March 31, 2014 9 a.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
But what about the county. Do you think anyone there would help take up the gauntlet?— March 30, 2014 5:08 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Or perhaps, "The Impresario's New Suit"....not specifying law suit or clothing.— March 30, 2014 10:11 a.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
How about "The Impresario Has No Clothes!"?— March 29, 2014 11:38 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
The fact that Ian Campbell and Karen Cohn are no longer speaking to the press or the public regarding any of this indicates to me that they are or will soon be sheltering at the side of their favorite attorneys. What is a reasonable response time for the letter sent by the board members? If it is completely ignored for a week, should that be an indication that there will be zero cooperation? Is it time to freeze assets, if that can be done--or should that be done after the last performance? How will this organization in such a state ensure that people will be paid in accordance with what they are due? (Not referring to Ian and Ann Campbell at this time). Is anyone at the city looking into this? I think they did get some county funds. Could the county also request information to see of the funds were applied the way they were supposed to be applied? Would any of the legal documents for the opera be a matter of public record--aside from the rental/lease agreement with the city? Is there a record of the opera company asking for a reduction in the amount they were paying for facilities at the opera house, or is that being used as an excuse? Because the rental amount for the performances seems like a drop in the bucket when compared with the salaries of Ian and Ann Campbell.— March 29, 2014 11:33 p.m.
Eleven opera board members demand information
You may be right--I can't seem to get the SD Opera Calendar to show anything in the past! It is only today forward. It certainly sounds like you know how things work. I really hope people can pull together and create a new San Diego Opera, or put the pieces of the old one back together in some workable fashion. Thanks for all your info!— March 29, 2014 6:57 a.m.
Eleven opera board members demand information
There was a costume sale last weekend, Saturday and Sunday. It was advertised on the SD Opera website. Prices started at $1 and went up to $750.— March 28, 2014 9:57 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Excellent work! Top-notch reporting!— March 28, 2014 9:13 p.m.
Eleven opera board members demand information
Happy to report the Save San Diego Opera Petition is now at approx. 16,862. I have to think that means something--as quite a few people have commented about performances they have seen, or participated in, or were hoping to see. Many people say things like "Keep the arts alive!" and "Music and the arts show us what it means to be human!" On a previous blog, I said that I think we have a lesson in semantics going when we discuss the issue of Ian Campbell and Ann Campbell's remuneration. Karen Cohn said they were not getting retirement benefits. Others have said that Ian would be paid through 2017. Others have also said that Ian is getting the proceeds of the sell-off of all the opera's effects. So, while all this may not have been termed 'retirement benefits' or a golden parachute, it is payment for someone who is no longer working for San Diego Opera. The $15 million that is still in the bank (according to what I have heard) has been said to be enough to guarantee that Ian and Ann Campbell get their salaries, even if the SD Opera is defunct. It would be interesting to actually read the terms of the Campbell's contracts. Also--the lawsuit about the hostile work environment. Could that be the proximal cause of all of this?— March 28, 2014 6 p.m.