San Diego Opera Turmoil Continues

Janos Gereben on April 29, 2014

Minnesota might have settled a long, destructive crisis (above), but another great calamity in the music world, the San Diego Opera facing extinction, is far from resolution, with stakes raised, as reported by The Los Angeles Times:

San Diego Opera has placed its longtime general and artistic director Ian Campbell on paid leave after a three-decade tenure that has been rocked in recent weeks by public and internal criticism over his role in the decision to close the company. The opera said in a news release Friday that Campbell and his ex-wife, Ann Spira-Campbell, who is a high-ranking administrator in the company, have both been placed on leave.

A company spokesman said in an interview that the Campbells will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization, but they are still being paid and are technically still part of the company. Friday's announcement comes a week after an exodus of 13 company board members, including president Karen Cohn. The opera's board has been divided over the March decision to close, with a contingent of members working to raise money to save the company.

Neither Ian Campbell nor Ann Spira-Campbell responded immediately to a request for comment. The opera said that Keith Fisher has been named chief operating officer and that he will manage the staff and resources of the company at this time. Fisher has been with the company since 2002 and recently served as executive director.