Andris Nelsons leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig, Germany during the orchestra’s 2016 European Tour. Photo by Gert Mothes
“The Boston Symphony Orchestra has cancelled its coming tour of Asia amid concerns about the deadly virus in China,” writes Philip Marcelo in Thursday’s (1/30) Associated Press. “Andris Nelsons, the orchestra’s music director, said Thursday that the decision was made out of concern for the ‘health and well-being’ of its musicians…. The four-city tour … included Seoul in South Korea, Taipei in Taiwan and Shanghai and Hong Kong in China from Feb. 6 to 16. Mark Volpe, the orchestra’s CEO and president, said the orchestra decided to scrap the entire tour after organizers in China cancelled the Shanghai performance. ‘Unfortunately, this includes the BSO’s performances in Seoul, Taipei, and Hong Kong—areas much less impacted by the virus—as it remains unclear how travel in and out of these regions will be affected in the coming weeks,’ he said in a statement…. The virus … emerged last month in the central city of Wuhan. Sports and cultural events have been cancelled across the country and over 50 million people are under a government lockdown in central China…. The orchestra said it’s considering scheduling concerts and special events in Boston during the time it was supposed to be on tour.”
