The Arkansas Symphony board of directors has canceled the remainder of the orchestra's 2019-20 season, citing concern for "the health, safety and well being of the audience, musicians and staff."
The cancellation list includes the remaining two Masterworks concerts, April 18-19 and May 2-3, and the season's final pops concert, May 9-10, at Robinson Center Performance Hall; the two remaining concerts in the River Rhapsodies chamber series, April 21 and May 5, at the Clinton Presidential Center; and two events at Mills High School involving the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra -- an April 10 residency with cellist Jeremy Crosmer and the April 26 "side-by-side" concert featuring the symphony alongside the Youth Symphony musicians.
"We're devastated, but we had to do it for the good of our patrons," said board chairwoman Jan Hundley. "It was the prudent thing to do."
Hundley said that because events at the Robinson Center had already been called off through April 30, it was easier to decide to cancel the rest of the season as well.
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Some Arkansas Symphony musicians have been contributing to the orchestra's "Bedtime With Bach" series of online videos, which Hundley is encouraging people to watch. They're available at facebook.com/watch/arkansassymphony and at Arkansassymphony.org/bedtime.
Hundley said the board has decided to continue to pay its full-time musicians and will pay its "per-service" musicians -- those paid per performance -- through the end of April. She said the board will reassess the organization's financial status at that point to decide whether to pay them for the canceled May concerts, as well.
"Without the ability to present live concerts, ASO is hit very hard by the pandemic," an orchestra spokesman said. "As a non-profit organization, we operate on the thinnest of margins."
So the orchestra is asking patrons to donate tickets back to the orchestra for a tax credit (visit arkansassymphony.org/cv-donate) or exchange them for vouchers good for any subscription concert in the 2020-21 season (visit arkansassymphony.org/cv-vouchers).
Call the box office at (501) 666-1761, Extension 1, or email tickets@arkansassymphony.org.
Metro on 03/28/2020