Pacific Symphony in black; Opera Pacific in red

The fiscal picture for Orange County’s two leading classical music companies was a study in black and red again for 2002-03, according to figures released Monday. The Pacific Symphony managed its 12th consecutive budget surplus, while Opera Pacific struggled with its second million-dollar deficit in a row.

The opera company’s deficit ballooned to $1.7 million -- up from $1 million in 2001-02 -- despite cost-cutting measures that included reducing the number of productions from five to four and lowering spending from $8.5 million to $7.9 million. Ticket revenue held steady at $2.7 million, but contributions took a large hit, dropping from $4.6 million to $3.7 million, according to audited figures released Monday.

Opera Pacific has no endowment to cushion it during lean years.

Executive Director Martin Hubbard said the opera company aims to cut costs further, to $7.2 million, during the 2003-04 season that begins tonight with “Madame Butterfly.” A concert last month by Placido Domingo netted $450,000 toward the coming season, opera officials said, and they hope to boost ticket revenue by $500,000 with a 42% price increase.

The Pacific Symphony eked out an unaudited surplus of $10,000, spending $11.38 million and taking in $11.39 million. Spending grew 5.5%, up from $10.8 million the year before. Ticket income grew by 6%, totaling $4.9 million, and contributions were up 19%, reaching $5 million.

John E. Forsyte, the orchestra’s president, said that managing a break-even year during a down economy positioned the orchestra well as it planned for its move in three years into a new concert hall scheduled to open at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

The 2003-04 season is off to a promising start, Forsyte said, with gains over last year in the number of subscription renewals. He said that subscribers seemed to be getting the message that established patrons would get first dibs in the new hall, which will have just 2,000 seats instead of the 3,000 at Segerstrom Hall in the existing Performing Arts Center.