Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera President and CEO, Comments on San Diego Opera

The surprising announcement that San Diego Opera may close at the end of this season serves as a sobering reminder of the fragility of our public arts institutions, and of the daily necessity of a fierce battle to protect them. I fear there is a tendency to take established institutions for granted, particularly those with robust public images. Even now, we fight the perception that opera companies are for-profit industries, rather than the simple, stark truth that we are entirely dependent on the good will of the ticket buyer, and the generosity of the philanthropist.

News reports on the struggles of arts organizations often proclaim imminent doom. Yet, there are signs of the robust vitality - and growth - of our art form everywhere, even beyond the world-class performances we strive to put on our stage every season. Our audience continues to grow in both size and diversity, and through programs such our LA Opera Off Grand initiative, Community Circle seating initiative, and our vigorous Community Engagement efforts, we further develop our audience base. Looking to tomorrow's artists and audiences, we increase levels of participation - and talent - each season through our Young Artist Program, our Cathedral Project, and our annual summer Opera Camp.

The very nature of opera can seem to defy logic; its scale, its ambition and its ephemerality all contribute to the daily challenges of making ends meet. By all reasonable measures, the form itself should have disappeared decades ago. And yet, it is these very qualities that have bound the community of artists and audience together for centuries in their collective pursuit of the fullest extent of artistic expression, of the cathartic collective experience of live performance, and of the revelatory vision that the world's greatest artists are able to convey.

Together, I'm confident that we'll protect the sublime, transcendent, transformative, and even the divine, power of opera. And we'll advance the cause of fostering an environment in which artists are in meaningful dialogue with the community. Or simply give you an unforgettable evening out.

On behalf of the entire LA Opera family, and with maximum gratitude and humility, I thank you for your support. We have a wonderful, and rewarding, journey ahead.