Richard D. Colburn

Colburn, Richard D.
Los Angeles Opera mourns with profound sadness the death of our very dear friend Richard Colburn. His singular commitment to the performing arts, and especially his deep appreciation and joyous pleasure in experiencing the beauty and wonder of opera, has been an inspiration to our Company. Richard Colburn's generous leadership support as a Founding Angel, through the Colburn Foundation and as a Domingo Angel enabled Los Angeles Opera to reach higher levels of artistic achievements each season and grow into an internationally acclaimed major opera house. Richard Colburn leaves a legacy of vision in philanthropy and the arts. He will be remembered especially for his personal energy, his prodigious knowledge of music and musicians, and his passion for excellence in performance. An accomplished violist himself, Richard had a deep appreciation for musicians and their accomplishments. He was a memorable presence in the opera house where he particularly relished opening nights, premieres and other festive evenings. We will miss his quiet encouragement from the first row at each performance he attended and the unusual rapport he had with our musicians and other members of the Company. We will miss his wise counsel during challenging times and his irreverent wit in even the most difficult of circumstances. His unabated enjoyment of his involvement with Los Angeles Opera, his extraordinary philanthropy and most of all his abiding friendships within our Board and Company set an example that will inspire music lovers in future generations. He will be deeply missed by all who were privileged to know him as a friend. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife Lisa Colburn and to his family. Marc I. Stern, Chairman and C.E.O. Frank E. Baxter, President Placido Domingo, General Director Kent Nagano, Music Director Edgar Baitzel, Artistic Director Elizabeth Kennedy, Administrative Director