San Diego Opera, whose survival fortunes appeared bleak following its initial closure announcement last month, has raised more than $2 million in so-called crowdfunding in its effort to fund a 50th-anniversary season.
The troubled company, who recently saw 13 of its 34 board members resign and whose officials announced its shuttering on April 13, then April 29, due to lack of funding, voted to extend its fundraising efforts through May 19. The $2 million goal was reached 10 days earlier.
Former artistic and general director Ian Campbell, who said he had felt closing was best while the company still had money to pay its creditors, has left the company.
The company is still seeking to raise $6.5 million of the $10 million it says it needs to mount a 50th-anniversary season next year. Previously, it had balanced its books over the last 28 seasons.
The company is the latest among a number of operas to close recently due to lack of financial support. Companies in New York, San Antonio, Boston, Cleveland, Baltimore and Orange County have folded amid sagging ticket sales and mounting debt.
The company has announced its 2015 season, which will feature three operas, including “Don Giovanni,” “La Boheme” and a modern piece called “Nixon in China.”