Foreseeing Financial Pitfalls, San Diego Opera to Fold

The board of the San Diego Opera voted Wednesday to shut down the country’s 10th largest opera company at the end of its current, 49th season, U-T San Diego reports.

The opera will give its final performance April 13 and wind up operations by June 30. Officials said that despite years of balanced budgets, the organization appeared to be headed into rougher economic seas. Ticket sales failed to meet projections in 2013 and ’14, and no major donor stepped up as the opera spent down a $10-million 2003 bequest from the late San Diego philanthropist Joan Kroc.

“We saw we faced an insurmountable financial hurdle going forward,” said Ian Campbell, the opera’s chief executive officer. “We had a choice of winding down with dignity and grace, making every effort to fulfill our financial obligations, or inevitably entering bankruptcy, as have several other opera companies.”