The Seattle Opera will make several cutbacks for its upcoming seasons due to a significant deficit for its just-ended season.
The company announced Tuesday that it is expecting a shortfall of $1 million for the 2011-12 season. The opera's immediate plans are to cut leadership salaries, reduce artist fee, eliminate the net of four full-time staff positions, and reshape its programming over the next few seasons.
"Given the economic situation, and our need responsibly to steward the money contributed by our community of donors and ticket-buyers, we are making some changes to our long-range plans," said Speight Jenkins, Seattle Opera's general director, in the press release.
"When the financial situation improves, we will move as quickly as possible to restore what we have at this time either eliminated or put on hold," added Jenkins.
The changes in programming include presenting the International Wagner Competition in summer 2014, instead of the previously announced production of Wagner's "Der Meistersinger von Nürnberg." And the company will present a concert instead of a fully staged opera for its Young Artists Program in 2012-13 season. In addition, the number of productions will be cut down from five to three in the 2013-14 season and four in 2014-15.
The opera's 2012-13 season will open in August with Puccini's "Turandot" as scheduled, and the planned "Ring" cycle for next summer will still go on.
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