ARTS

Indianapolis Opera cancels final show of season

Michael Anthony Adams
michael.adams@indystar.com

Indianapolis Opera, in a statement Tuesday evening, announced the cancellation of "Albert Herring," citing financial strain. The opera was the final show of the 2013-14 season.

Charles Stanton, a former opera vocalist and workshop facilitator at the National Association of Teachers of Singing, made note of the opera's financial issues while he served as vice president of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Among his concerns were what he considered poor artistic decisions by the organization and a lack of innovation.

"I look at the opera and I think, 'Gosh, you guys are operating on this antiquated business model that says opera has to be expensive,'" said Stanton, the CEO of Classical Music Indy. "It doesn't. There are companies nationwide that have figured out how to operate on a lean budget, but with high-quality productions."

Stanton said the opera didn't program for standard listeners, who look for big-name shows like "Carmen" and "La Boheme." In his view, the decision to stage large and expensive but obscure productions like "Albert Herring" and produce shows at Clowes Hall rather than the Basile Opera Center hurt it financially.

Indianapolis Opera General Manager Carol Baker and board members declined comment.

This announcement comes on the heels of bad news for another opera company. The San Diego Opera, in operation for nearly 50 years, announced March 19 that the 2014 season would be its last. Ian Campbell, the opera's general director, told the Los Angeles Times that the demand for opera in San Diego wasn't high enough, and that the institution was hurt by a tough fund-raising environment and weak ticket sales.

According to the last publicly available tax filing, the Indianapolis Opera Company Foundation held $613,010 in assets at the beginning of 2011. By the end of that year, those assets had dwindled to $75,299. The opera did not immediately reply to The Indianapolis Star's request for its 2012 tax returns.

Ticket holders for "Albert Herring" will be contacted with options for exchanges or refunds. In a news release, the Opera stated that an announcement regarding the 2014-15 season would be made in the coming weeks.

Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @MichaelAdams317.