“The Dallas Symphony Orchestra said on Tuesday that it was postponing its planned tour of Europe this April, citing safety concerns in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California,” writes Michael Cooper in Tuesday’s (12/22) New York Times. “The Dallas Symphony Association said in a statement, ‘After careful deliberation, we believe that there is an elevated risk to the safety of our musicians and their families, guest artists, D.S.O. personnel and traveling patrons, and therefore will not be proceeding with the tour at this time.’ … The League of American Orchestras said it was unaware of any other orchestra tours being canceled for safety reasons. An orchestra official said the cancelation was made for safety reasons, not economic concerns…. The tour, which was to have run from April 6 to 21, had been expected to take the orchestra to the Netherlands, Scotland, England, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Spain. Two programs were planned: one of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and the first act of Wagner’s ‘Die Walküre,’ and the other of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 (with David Fray as the soloist) and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7. The orchestra last toured Europe in 2013.”
Posted December 23, 2015
