“The National Philharmonic, a year-round regional orchestra based at Strathmore in Montgomery County, Md., is planning to close after 36 years—because it’s run out of money,” writes Anne Midgette in Tuesday’s (7/16) Washington Post. “The announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon in a press statement from the orchestra’s president, Leanne Ferfolia. ‘Decreases in funding from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County for each of the past eight years (from $270,000 per year to $107,000) combined with a near doubling of National Philharmonic’s operating and performing fees in the Montgomery County-owned facilities at Strathmore over the same period have hamstrung National Philharmonic’s ability to operate,’ the statement said. A decrease in ticket revenue and donations in the 2018-19 season was also to blame…. The National Philharmonic, comprised … of top freelance players … has offered as many as 36 concerts a year…. On Tuesday, Ferfolia said the orchestra did not have a firm date for its closure…. The departure will leave Strathmore without one of its two resident orchestras. The other one, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Strathmore’s principal tenant, has locked out its musicians for the summer” in a contract dispute. Piotr Gajewski is the National Philharmonic’s music director.
Posted July 17, 2019
