Music Center’s Stephen D. Rountree to do double duty as COO of LA Opera

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Since the death of Los Angeles Opera’s Chief Operating Officer Edgar Baitzel in spring 2007, the Music Center’s resident opera has been without an official chief operating officer; its board chairman, businessman Marc I. Stern, has been filling in on volunteer basis, aiding general manager Placido Domingo in day-to-day company operations.

But now the economy is forcing Stern -- who serves as vice chairman of TCW Group Inc. and is a senior officer of the global financial services company Societe Generale -- to focus his attention on these two very prominent day jobs. So today it was announced to the opera staff that Stephen D. Rountree, president of the Music Center since 2002, will be doing double duty as interim COO of the opera, a position that is expected to last about a year until a permanent replacement is named. (UPDATE: And earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to TCW Group Inc. as TWC Group Inc.)

Rountree, former executive vice president and chief operating officer of the J. Paul Getty Trust, begins the new opera job, a paid position, on Monday. Stern will still find time to continue as volunteer chairman and CEO of the opera.

-- Diane Haithman