Opera Hamilton announced today that it is closing down due to a lack of money.
The organisation’s treasurer and board co-chair Peter Uffelmann declared in a press release that, “in the absence of any other funding, the board had no choice but to cancel the rest of the season and cease operations.”
The orchestral musicians from the well-received season-opening production of Verdi’s Falstaff have still not been paid, and are owed approximately $20,000. The staff payroll is also not up-to-date.
I spoke earlier this week to Opera Hamilton executive director Stephen Bye, who expressed hope that a promised large donation would come in before the end of this week so that the musicians could come back to play for a Popera gala on the weekend.
Thanks to its proximity to Toronto, Hamilton has enjoyed good-quality professional opera for many years, but every company has had a difficult time to make a go of it financially. Opera Hamilton’s predecessor, Opera Ontario, went bankrupt in 2008. Even moving to a smaller venue — from Hamilton Place to the Dofasco Theatre — in 2011 didn’t help the balance sheet much.
The company has been carrying an accumulated deficit that sits somewhere above half-a-million dollars.
As has been the case before, the story is not necessarily over. There is a possibility that someone could still step in with a donation or an offer of municipal financial help that might help resurrect the company in some form.
John Terauds