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QUICK TAKES - Feb. 13, 2009

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Associated Press

The Connecticut Opera has gone out of business after 67 seasons, the latest arts group to fall victim to the economic downturn and sagging charitable donations.

Opera board President Brooks Joslin said Thursday that the decision to shut down was made late last week.

The opera’s bank account was frozen and funding sources had dried up following a poor turnout at the November production of “Don Giovanni” at the Palace Theater in Waterbury.

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The opera closed its Hartford office, laid off its half-dozen staff members and informed its 2,000 subscribers that they won’t be getting their money back on two recently canceled springtime productions -- “Daughter of the Regiment” in March and “La Boheme” in May.

Connecticut Opera had a yearly budget of about $2 million.

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