Thursday’s (3/31) Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York) reports, “The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra will honor Syracuse Symphony Orchestra tickets for the remainder of the season. The Syracuse symphony board voted to suspend operations, laying off all musicians and all but eight staff members, and has canceled the remainder of its concerts this season because of financial woes. The Syracuse orchestra did not offer refunds to ticket holders. ‘It’s incredibly sad to see another orchestra suspend its operations—especially in our own upstate backyard,’ said Charles Owens, president and CEO of the RPO. The Syracuse symphony had more than 20 concerts remaining in its season, including an April 27 concert featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The orchestra had 61 core and 14 contract musicians. … The RPO announced a balanced $9.2 million budget for its last fiscal year and says it is on track for the current year partly because RPO musicians agreed in November to a second round of concessions totaling $500,000.”
Posted April 1, 2011
