The San Diego Opera Association Records (1965-2008) documents the outreach, fundraising, growth and development of the San Diego Opera Association (SDOA), including the SDOA's outreach activities, fundraising, education, and work done in support of the San Diego Opera. It includes budgets, bylaws, correspondence, minutes, committee files, programs, photographs, and scrapbooks. The collection consists of five major series:  Operational Files (1972-2005), Programs and Publications (1972-2008), Photographs (1965-1993), Scrapbooks (1972-2006), and Posters and Artifacts (n.d.).  The Operational Files have four sub-series: Event and Program Files (1975-2005), Minutes (1975-2000), Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association (1972-2001), and Membership Rosters (1972-1985). The Programs and Publications series contains two sub-series: Published Programs (1972-2008) and Other Publications (1973-2002). The Photographs are divided in two sub-series: Events and Programs (1965-1993), and Metropolitan Opera Auditions (1974-1990).

The Operational Files (1972-2005) include four subseries: Event and Program Files (1975-2005), Minutes (1975-2000), Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association (1972-2001), and Membership Rosters (1972-1985). These files document the Association's special programming, outreach activities, and education work, as well as their administrative activities, and the work of various guilds of the SDOA.  The Event and Program Files (1975-2005) document fundraising, finances, community outreach programs, special auditions, and other programming. It consists of budgets, bylaws, Ian Campbell's correspondence, committee files, and other materials. It is filed alphabetically.  The Minutes (1975-2000) document the SDOA's formation, as well as myriad other topics, including fundraising, membership, ticket sales, facilities, and budgets. The Board of Directors and Executive Committee minutes include president's reports and committee reports. The series is filed chronologically. The Guilds of the San Diego Opera Association (1972-2001) series documents the activities of various branch SDOA guilds including the La Jolla, North Coast, Park West, Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo, and Rancho Santa Fe guilds. It includes files on events, the Council of Guilds, fundraising, supplementary programming, community support, financial matters, meeting minutes, agendas, and correspondence, and is filed alphabetically. The Membership Rosters (1972-1985), document SDOA's membership and committee service.  Created annually, each roster is a booklet which contains information on SDOA officers, the board of directors, various committees, the SDO's season for that year, and an alphabetical listing of all SDOA members. Rosters are filed chronologically.

The Programs and Publications (1972-2008) document productions staged at numerous west coast opera companies, and opera in the US in general. It consists of two subseries: Published Programs (1972-2008) and Other Publications (1973-2002). The Published Programs (1972-2008) document productions staged at numerous west coast opera companies, and usually include general background information about individual shows, photos of the production, a cast list, biographies of actors and production staff, the name of the production's theater, background information about the show, and advertisements.  Programs are filed chronologically. The Other Publications (1973-2002) consists primarily of major trade publications, including Opera Briefs, Opera Scene, and Opera People. Publications are filed chronologically.

The Photographs (1965-1993) includes two subseries: Events and Programs (1965-1993) and Metropolitan Opera Auditions (1974-1990). It documents some of the special events and programming organized by SDOA, and the Met Auditions held in San Diego. The Events and Programs (1965-1993) documents some of the special events and supplementary programming organized by SDOA over the years in support of San Diego Opera productions.  They are filed alphabetically by event or program name. The Metropolitan Opera Auditions (1974-1990) primarily consist of headshots submitted by performers participating in the Met Auditions held in San Diego.  They are filed chronologically by audition year.

The Scrapbooks (1972-2006) consist of numerous scrapbooks documenting San Diego Opera history, activities, programs, and events, as well as the activities and programs undertaken at various local opera guilds around San Diego. They include clippings, programs, event invitations, reviews, membership posters, brochures, pamphlets, and other materials.

The Posters and Artifacts (n.d.) consists of production posters documenting performance dates, venue, and individual production graphic design, as well as some assorted artifacts used at SDOA events and programs over the years.