Opera Philadelphia Announces Massive Budget & Staff Cuts Following Post-Pandemic Slump
By Francisco SalazarOpera Philadelphia has announced it is cutting its budget and eliminating five positions.
The company noted that due to a post-pandemic slump, it will cut its current annual budget by about 20 percent from its originally approved $13.3 million and will cut five positions or about 16 percent of staff.
Additionally, it announced it would be postponing its production of Joseph Bologne’s “The Anonymous Lover” for another season and would discontinue its paid streaming platform the Opera Philadelphia Channel.
The company also announced that David B. Devan will step down as general director and president when his current contract expires at the end of the 2023-24 season. According to Devan he decided to leave when the post-lockdown attendance failed to happen and it became clear the company would need to undergo another huge change.
Opera Philadelphia will now work with a search committee of board members, music director Corrado Rovaris, and other opera leaders to look for a new General Director who “has a view toward the future of opera in Philadelphia post-COVID.”
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