By Gary Murphy
As a proactive board member of LA Opera since 1999, Leslie Dorman chaired the Development Committee for ten years and served as a member of both the Budget and Finance Committee and the Executive Committee. She currently serves as a Vice Chair of LA Opera and as Chair of the Campaign Committee.
With her husband John, the Winnetka, Illinois native has generously supported many of the company's most important programs and productions, including the Domingo and 20th Anniversary Angels campaigns, two productions of Tannhäuser (2007, 2021), Falstaff (2005, 2013), Tristan und Isolde (2008), Die Walküre (2009), Don Giovanni (2012), the Ring cycle (2010), as well as many of the company's community engagement and education programs.
Beyond her tireless service to LA Opera, Leslie previously served for eight years as executive director of the Whitecap Foundation, which funded projects involving family support, youth education and wildlife conservation. She has also held positions as assistant executive director of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership and director of development for KUSC-FM.
For ten years before that, Leslie worked with the nonprofit Los Angeles World Affairs Council, a nonpartisan international affairs organization.
Currently, she serves as an emeritus board member of the Yosemite Conservancy and is president of the Sterling Foundation.
Recently, and despite being impacted by the Palisades fire, Leslie sat down with BRAVO to catch us up on her ever-busy cultural life, and to reflect on her remarkable journey.
LA Opera has just announced its 40th anniversary season. And you have been there since the beginning.
Leslie Dorman: That’s true. I began my association with LA Opera on the first day, as I was serving as the Development Director at KUSC in 1986. I successfully raised funds to facilitate the live broadcast of the opening night of the company: the infamous Otello production with the stuck curtain.
As a gesture of appreciation, LA Opera generously provided me with tickets to attend performances of my choosing. After a short while, my husband John and I decided to subscribe to the opera so that we could experience all of the productions.
BRAVO: Were you into opera at that time?
LD: Although I was involved with LA Opera from the beginning, I wasn't initially a devoted opera fan. Growing up in the Chicago area, I enjoyed various music genres, played the violin, attended theater and the Ravinia Festival, but had never been fully exposed to opera.
In 1987, my perspective changed when I attended the David Hockney production of Tristan und Isolde twice in one week – the second time with my friend, and KUSC colleague, Gail Eichenthal. That performance profoundly moved me. During the Act II love duet, I felt like I was being pushed to the back of my seat, and I’ve never been the same since. This shared experience deepened my love for opera, and it marked the start of my long and close friendship with Gail.
BRAVO: You mentioned your work as KUSC’s Development Director. You also worked with the Whitecap Foundation and World Affairs Council, among other nonprofit organizations. Did those experiences give you a unique perspective when you joined LA Opera’s Board?
LD: I consider my career to have two distinct phases.
The first sixteen years were spent working for nonprofits. Since 1991, when I was hired by a family to help develop their philanthropic program, my career has focused on philanthropy. I have worked for two different foundations.
Although it is not exactly an even split between the two phases, transitioning from a nonprofit to a philanthropic role has been beneficial. Particularly, experience in fundraising provides insight into the perspective of those receiving assistance, allowing one to understand both sides of the table. A former colleague of mine at the Arco Foundation only hired people with nonprofit experience to ensure they understood the perspective of those they were helping.
I've been fortunate in my career, doing jobs I love and engaging in program development, fundraising, strategic planning, facilitation and other roles within the nonprofit sector. I even took financial and management accounting courses at UCLA to understand financial statements better. In nonprofits, especially smaller ones, it's vital to be a Jack of all trades and grasp every aspect of the business. When you work in philanthropy, it's crucial to understand what you're looking at when evaluating a nonprofit. Recognizing both warning signs and positive indicators is essential because you are accountable to your own foundation board.
The question of whether arts organizations differ from other types of nonprofits made me reflect deeply. Having worked with a wide range of nonprofits with diverse missions and structures, I have found that the issues that each nonprofit faces are individual, but not necessarily unique. They face common challenges and typically look for individuals with critical and innovative thinking skills, creativity and dedication to the mission in order to be successful.
BRAVO: I believe you joined the LA Opera Board of Directors in 1999. Can you talk about that transition?
LD: Elizabeth Kennedy, the Development Director at the time, persuaded me to join the board. Soon after, I became Chair of the Development Committee, serving for ten years. From the beginning, most of my work on the board has been behind the scenes.
I worked with LAO founder Bernie Greenberg to plan a board retreat in 2001, then had the opportunity to work on another retreat in 2017, which led to the idea for a capital campaign. These retreats involved extensive planning.
My role as Development Chair was also largely behind the scenes, leveraging my experience as a nonprofit manager. I've primarily collaborated with staff and have functioned more as a colleague due to my professional background.
BRAVO: Why is a capital campaign important to a company such as LA Opera?
LD: The planning for the capital campaign commenced following the board retreat in 2017. It required approximately one year of preparation before its launch in 2018. Since that time, the campaign has remained in its initial quiet phase.
The three primary objectives of our campaign have been: building working capital, enlarging the endowment and retiring debt.
Working capital is crucial for our current operations and stage productions, while the endowment provides significant income presently and contributes to future growth. In comparison to our peer companies nationwide, we have had the smallest endowment due to the relatively young age of our company.
In the early years of LA Opera, our longevity was uncertain. However, forty years later, we are an established and respected company, nationally and internationally. Today, increasing the endowment is vital, and addressing cashflow issues by building working capital also remains a primary goal.
BRAVO: When did you first become aware of The Opera League?
LD: As a member of the LA Opera Board, I have come to recognize the League's vital role in supporting our artists and presenting programs to our audience.
The Opera League enhances the company's fabric significantly. Artists enjoy coming to Los Angeles, largely due to the League's personalized experiences. These efforts are especially valuable as artists spend weeks here without knowing anyone but each other.
The League’s touches, from personalized activities to thoughtful gestures, make a big difference in making Los Angeles feel like home.
BRAVO: Let's discuss your work as a conservationist and member of the Yosemite Conservancy, which is clearly another passion of yours.
LD: Growing up in the Chicago area, I spent nine years attending summer camp in the Northwoods of Michigan, beginning the summer after third grade. And it wasn’t a “princess camp” experience. This extensive exposure to nature has been a significant part of my life, engaging in activities such as canoe trips, hiking to outposts and various water sports.
The natural world holds great importance for me, which is evident from my current residence in the mountains of Colorado for half the year.
My connection to Yosemite began when I traveled to college in California with my brother, who was attending graduate school at Stanford. Our journey took us along I-80, entering Yosemite through Tioga Pass. We first hiked in the high country and later descended into the valley at night, staying at Camp Curry. Waking up to the stunning views of Yosemite Valley in 1968 filled me with shock and awe and left a lasting impression on me.
When John and I met at Occidental College, Yosemite was already an important part of his family life. Originally from San Diego, John frequently camped in Yosemite with family and friends, fostering a strong connection to the park. Our daughter also engaged in outdoor activities at Sky Lake Yosemite Camp including backpacking in Yosemite and the Ansel Adams Wilderness.
John and I visit Yosemite once or twice annually. The Yosemite Conservancy has executed major restoration projects throughout the park, and we have actively participated in planning groups for these initiatives. Collaborating with Park Service personnel, biologists and other experts, we have worked on strategies to restore various sites within the park. Our involvement has given us a deep appreciation for the intricate details of Yosemite’s ecosystem, making it an essential place for us.
BRAVO: As an amateur photographer, I would imagine the first site of Yosemite certainly brought out the inner Ansel Adams in you.
LD: I’ve been taking pictures for fifty years. When I'm out in nature with my camera, I completely lose track of time, and I’ll often return home frozen in winter. I don't use Photoshop or any technical tools; I just enjoy taking pictures. I'm untrained and consider myself a strict amateur, focusing on light and design to capture a decent photo.
BRAVO: Los Angeles is still recovering from January's fires. I think you live in an evacuated area. How are you?
LD: Our Santa Monica area was under mandatory evacuation for some time. John and I were in Colorado but, upon returning to Los Angeles, we felt a palpable pall over the entire city due to the loss of life, property and security. It reminds me of the big earthquakes and COVID times. I think that just about everyone knows someone who has lost their home, making the collective pain widespread.
How can we bounce back? As an opera company, we believe the arts can help us navigate traumatic events and build emotional resilience to loss, whether personal or shared. The arts provide hope and solace, which is essential for our mission.
The impact on fundraising remains unknown, but I think that many people consider opera and the arts as part of the recovery process. Attending opera performances can provide a sense of shared joy for the audience. Being in a theater when the lights dim and the performance begins is an unmatched and soul-stirring experience. I can’t wait to return!