“The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra committed to a 2020-21 season at a live-stream public townhall meeting yesterday to discuss impacts of COVID-19 on the organization,” writes Janet Smith on Tuesday’s (7/21) Georgia Straight (Vancouver, Canada). “ ‘Yes, we will have a 2020-21 season, but it’s still pretty difficult to predict how it will look,’ assured Angela Elster, president and CEO of the VSO and the VSO School of Music, who was joined on a panel by music director Otto Tausk, from his home in the Netherlands, and Etienne Bruson, Vancouver Symphony Society board chair. ‘We’ve submitted our plan to the government of B.C,’ she added, ‘and we’re building our digital concert hall.…’ She said the organization will experiment this summer with live performances in smaller groups.… Bruson reported that the VSO had reached an audience of half a million in 2020, and had built the reach of its music school online. On the downside, the organization has lost at least 40 percent of its revenue from ticket sales. Balancing the budget will rely on the continued support of private donors and sponsors, Bruson said, adding that federal wage subsidies have been a key to keeping the organization together.”
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