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Opera board still looking for donors
The stories and rumors will go wild until the books are opened. The story above neglects one truth, those singers under contract will do whatever they can to save the Opera, they don't sing for a living, they live to sing. They deserve more than a paycheck, they deserve the promised chance to perform, and their audience deserves the chance to hear them. There's a concert hall with open dates. A show could be presented with two pianos and singers for four figures. Call it watered down beer, but It would be fun, and with all this brouhaha for promotion it would make money.— April 1, 2014 1:13 p.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
If the Opera can't pay it's debts. it's bankrupt, and any juggling done now to change the order of payment to debtors is certainly improper, and probably illegal. Usually employees would be first in line to be paid, contracts and salary behind the wages, if I remember what lawyers tell me correctly. But management that won't produce books on proper demand, typically gets fired and sued. Unfortunately this demand for big donors seems like an attempt to slow down seizure rather than keep the company going. If the Board came out with a pledge to personally match donations, and published the books, that would be different. The big donors that helped before got ripped off.— April 1, 2014 10:35 a.m.
Opera board still looking for donors
No one should donate a penny until complete numbers are made public, except for the current board and management of course. The basic smell I had from the start, that the assets of the company are to be sold to settle the contracts the Campbells awarded, seems confirmed. The only surprise is the claim that the Campbells didn't award such a contract to themselves, an uncharacteristic oversight, if true.— March 31, 2014 11:56 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slhhg8sI6Ds The only castrato ever recorded.— March 31, 2014 3:17 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Ian Campbell has confessed to being a liar whose management has led an important charitable institution to dissolution. HIs defense from the start has been that Opera is a sick dog that needs to be put down, through no fault of his own, it just happened. And he lied only to protect the feelings of those who still loved the dog and wouldn't understand. The trouble with the talk about the future of Opera, is that distracts from the issue here, money. The presented figures say the Opera is millions in the black, but the management says it can't make next year's payroll. Both facts can't be true. Experience tells us the money must be gone, trying to sell this as an artistic decision is idiotic. The issue now is the disposal of the Opera's remaining assets, and trying to preserve those a new company needs for San Diego. If Board and Management have any decency, they would turn over this task to new people, just as in a bankruptcy. I don't expect them to, I suspect they have another scheme.— March 31, 2014 11:35 a.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Let's hope they're not completely lawless, every day of delay in presenting real figures, spreads more doubt. Many sit on the board as a position of prestige, but this fiasco will only bring them disgrace, unless they rise up and turn this around. Houston Opera thrives while our Opera does the hooked fish flop. Houston is not some Mecca of culture, we can fix this.— March 30, 2014 5:37 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Real crime seems more likely every day they don't show the books. Many of the published statements of Campbell and his supporters confess deception, as in knowing but not revealing. It may come as a surprise to residents of this City, but intentional deception on signed documents for personal gain is often treated as crime, rather than a qualification for public office. If I were on the Opera Board, I would ask for Ian Campbell's resignation immediately, and get a lawyer. What you sign without careful examination can bite you later.— March 30, 2014 10:13 a.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Now I didn't know Sanders was a castrato, I thought he was a countertenor. Sending him to Italy is a wonderful Idea though.— March 29, 2014 7:28 p.m.
Letter sent by San Diego Opera board members today
Keep an eye on those physical assets, the *Daily Transcript* quotes a stagehand who suggests they are to be crated and sold at the last curtain drop. If Mr. Campbell has a plan to take them with him, I would say my reptile powers performed amazingly well, since that's what I suspected from the start. As for the proposed new opera, if anyone has lyrics of any sort, that need music, let me know. Especially if they can poke fun at this situation. I can write fast, and we all need a laugh right now.— March 29, 2014 1:24 p.m.
Eleven opera board members demand information
Ian Campbell seems energetic enough to get another position elsewhere, he might not need the golden parachute. I would keep an eye on the costumes and sets. I have to wonder how they are treated on the books. The money spent on production might not have been completely written off, since the costumes and sets are an asset that can be sold or leased. This might be used to conceal bleeding, and if it were repeated for 30 years, the company might have millions in assets in theory, but no way to make payroll. That's speculation of course, but the sets aren't speculation, they're designed to fit the theater, and could be used for new shows in a matter of weeks. They should stay in San Diego.— March 28, 2014 9:42 p.m.