The San Diego Opera will introduce David Bennett Thursday as its new general director, replacing Ian Campbell.
Bennett is a former executive director of the New York-based Gotham Chamber Opera.
“David met all of the criteria we were looking for and his artistic strength, infectious love of opera, creativity, vision and collaborative nature was the course we wanted to set for the future of our company,” San Diego Opera board President Carol Lazier said.
“David’s commitment to diverse audiences and his intrinsic curiosity to find out what makes San Diego so unique was compelling to us,” Lazier said. “With David at the helm we are confident that San Diego Opera will become the opera company this city wants and deserves.”
According to the San Diego Opera, Bennett tripled the Gotham Chamber’s budget and increased the number of its productions while he was there. The company became known among arts circles for staging full productions in unusual locations.
About this time last year, Campbell announced the San Diego Opera would fold because of financial troubles that couldn’t be resolved. A reformulated board of directors cut ties with Campbell and raised enough money to put on the current season, the company’s 50th.
—City News Service