San Diego Opera is reaching out to patrons of Orange County’s Opera Pacific, which went under last month, by offering special ticket deals to supporters of the defunct company.
The two companies are sending letters to former Opera Pacific patrons today detailing the offers, which include a five-opera-for-the-price-of-four deal, deep discounts on single tickets, and special hotel packages for those who want to stay overnight in San Diego.
Opera Pacific is not offering refunds to its ticketholders. The remainder of the 2008-2009 season was cancelled in November, with productions of Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Grapes of Wrath” and Richard Strauss’ “Salome,” staring Deborah Voigt, still in the offing. The company has disbanded.
In a letter previously sent to Opera Pacific patrons, the company asked that tickets be donated back to the company in exchange for a 2008 tax deduction.
Additionally, the company said that the Pacific Symphony was offering an exchange deal for Opera Pacific tickets.
“They will provide you, free of charge, one ticket for a concert for each Opera Pacific ticket you return,” the letter said.
“Additionally, the company said that the Pacific Symphony was offering an exchange deal for Opera Pacific tickets.”
Bah! How nice for those of us who ALREADY HAVE season tickets to the Pacific Symphony!
The refusal/innability of the defunct Opera Pacific to refund subscription payments sends a very negative message to opera fans/subscribers throughout the United States. That message was reinforced when Baltimore Opera recently abandoned the field also leaving its subscribers in the financial lurch.
The opera world is a close-knit one, and word travels fast.
But even locally, as some Orange County citizens are talking about reviving some kind of operatic presence, is it very likely that there will be a long line of patrons with check-books in hand waiting to subscribe?
It is sad when any performing arts organization must go out of existence. But it is more than sad when they chose to do so in such an irresponsible way.