 He was the San Diego Press Club Headliner of the Year for the Arts in 1991, and in 1997 was chosen as one of the Fathers of the Year for San Diego.In 2004 he received The University of Sydney’s prestigious James Wolfensohn Award for “the betterment of society and his profession.”

He married soprano Rachel Gettler in 1982 but they divorced in 1984.In 1985 he married Ann Spira, the San Diego Opera's director of strategic planning and projects; they divorced in 2012.