“The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra announced Wednesday that performances scheduled through June 14, including the first full performance of the Wagner opera ’Tristan und Isolde’ in Atlanta, would be canceled [due to] the coronavirus outbreak,” writes Bo Emerson in Wednesday’s (4/22) Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA). “The canceled performances will result in the loss of more than $3 million in revenue…. Ticket sales account for about half the orchestra’s annual operating budget.… To help mitigate the losses the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Players Association has agreed to a temporary reduction in pay, through June 27, and to allow the symphony to have access to archival material to stream past recordings. The symphony also announced pay cuts among the administrative staff, and the furlough of 11 full-time and 13 part-time staff members, mostly those whose work involved staging performances. These employees are eligible for Cares Act funding and will retain their health benefits during the furlough period.” In a statement, ASO Executive Director Jennifer Barlament said the orchestra “made the difficult decision to cancel the remaining performances in our 75th anniversary season after consulting with public health experts and considering the continuing restrictions on public gatherings both in Atlanta and statewide.”
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