Classical Music

For the first time, San Diego Opera published its annual financial report in its glossy Opera Scene magazine. Part of the motivation was to underscore the $824,000 surplus the company accrued at the end of the 1986-87 fiscal year. The surplus allowed Ian Campbell’s company to eradicate its accumulated debt and still post a “nominal cumulative surplus” of $92,000 for the year.

According to an opera spokesperson, the profitable season allowed the board to retire the debt a year ahead of schedule--a gratifying achievement. Especially, one might add, in a city where other arts organizations have presented a 10-year debt retirement plan as a sigh of fiscal health.