“The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has said adios to its six-city tour in Spain next May,” writes Andrea Ahles in Monday’s (12/21) Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX). “The trip was canceled last week after several concert halls dropped out of the tour, partly due to the lack of government funding and the falling value of the euro. ‘We are heartbroken that it is not coming to fruition and we did everything in our power to keep it going,’ said Amy Adkins, symphony president and CEO. ‘However, we don’t have control over the Spanish economy.’ … The tour, organized by Spanish arts management Conciertos Augusto, would have been the orchestra’s first international tour in more than 25 years.… The symphony had received a $25,000 grant from the Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund for the trip. Adkins said it would return the funds…. The tour would have cost about $1.2 million and the symphony was responsible for about half of the funding. The other half was from presenter fees.… The exchange rate has dropped to where the fee is only valued at about $31,000, down from $41,000…. Orchestra management and its musicians union are currently in contract talks, but Adkins said the Spain tour cancellation was not related to the negotiations.”
Posted December 22, 2015
Pictured: The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Miguel Harth-Bedoya, 2012. Photo by Jeff Washington
