A San Diego Opera-San Diego Symphony agreement reached this week to share musicians signifies a new level of achievement for two arts organizations that have fought second-tier status for years. It also ushers in unprecedented cooperation for these major arts organizations, which didn’t always work cooperatively or compatibly.
Opera-symphony pact a notable event
The two major groups haven't always cooperated
By Preston Turegano and Valerie Scher
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
January 20, 2005
A San Diego Opera-San Diego Symphony agreement reached this week to share musicians signifies a new level of achievement for two arts organizations that have fought second-tier status for years.
It also ushers in unprecedented cooperation for these major arts organizations, which didn't always work cooperatively or compatibly.
The relationship will link the symphony and opera as never before while boosting their artistic quality and enhancing the orchestra's hard-won financial stability — building on a $100 million gift it received in 2002 from philanthropists Joan and Irwin Jacobs.
"We are probably the only orchestra in America today that is expanding its commitment to musicians," symphony executive director Edward B. "Ward" Gill said yesterday. "It's a huge challenge. We must collaborate. We must coordinate schedules, make everything work."
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