In the Arts: Leaders at D.C. Opera, N.Y. Philharmonic Heading for Exit

The renowned tenor Placido Domingo is leaving the Washington National Opera, telling the opera’s board Monday that he will not renew his contract as general director when it expires in June, reports The Washington Post.

Mr. Domingo has served seven years as the D.C. group’s general director and 14 as its artistic director. While he added star power to the opera, he has also been overextended, simultaneously running the Los Angeles Opera, which just renewed his contract, and performing worldwide.

The Washington opera has struggled financially and is contemplating a merger with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a move Mr. Domingo suggested the organization mull over in his letter to the board.

In other arts news, the New York Philharmonic announced Monday that its president, Zarin Mehta, will step down following the 2011-12 season, The New York Times writes.

The 71-year-old’s departure marks a generational shift at the Philharmonic, which recently welcomed a new music director and board chairman, at a time when orchestra executives nationwide are rethinking symphonies’ role in society, according to the Times.

And the arts patron Lynda Resnick talks to the Los Angeles Times as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art prepares to open a new exhibition pavilion named for Ms. Resnick and her husband, Stewart.

The couple, who amassed a fortune in the juice and bottled-water business, gave $45-million and pledged $10-million worth of art from their collection to the museum. The couple last year ranked No. 43 on The Chronicle’s list of the nation’s 50 most-generous donors.

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