Following a board vote of 35 to four, the opera, which had been scheduled to close and begin selling assets April 14 and dismantle the company by the end of the opera's fiscal year June 30, will utilize the two weeks to re-evaluate its financial condition, consider additional options and possibly find a way to move forward for at least another season.
UT San Diego reports that artistic director and CEO Ian Campbell said the company would need approximately $10 million in contributions (with an additional $6 million in ticket sales) to present a 50th anniversary season in 2015. The season had already been announced in the opera's program book.
The closure had been credited to declining ticket sales and challenges in fundraising.
Following the announcement of the closure, opera employees and supporters started a petition to save the opera, UT San Diego reports. A group of eight board members, including the one dissenting board member in the original vote and several members who voted to close, have submitted a request for further information and that the board form a committee to review the requested documents and provide recommendations to the board on options for the future.
Additionally, the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO (AGMA), which represents the opera's star singers and its chorus members, filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the opera. Visit sdopera.com for more information.