From www.sfcv.org

In a highly unusual substitution, the San Francisco Opera is expected
to replace American Wagnerian tenor Timothy Mussard with Mexican lyric
tenor Fernando de la Mora in the title role of Verdi's "Otello" on several
nights during the current run.  Mussard was scheduled to sing on Oct.
16 and 29 (Jon Fredric West singing the title role at the remaining five
other performances), but now it is not yet known if those are to remain
the dates for Mora.

Known mostly for his Rodolfo, Cavaradossi and Pinkerton, Mora will have
to step up to the plate to sing a role calling for a dramatic tenor as
much as a lyric one.  Mussard, who is the chair at UCLA's voice department,
sang Siegfried in the Marseille Opera's new "Ring" cycle.

Another unconfirmed report from inside the War Memorial says that urgent
measures are being taken to deal with the nearly $8 million deficit found
in the current $60 million budget.  While the unrestricted portion of
the Opera's $44 million endowment can easily cover the shortage, the
administration is trying to control the sea of red ink - which the huge
"St.  Francois d'Asisse" did not help to part - by cutting programs and
activities.  Reportedly, among the first victims is the planned 2003
production of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Le Coq d'Or." Several other productions,
especially the more ambitious and costly ones, are expected to follow
to the circular file, but a panicky rumor in the house about the possibility
of a partial shutdown of the company is likely to be completely baseless.

Janos Gereben/SF
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