Virginia’s Alexandria Symphony Orchestra has postponed its 2020-21 main subscription series to 2021-22, to be replaced with live music in outdoor venues with small ensembles and limited, socially distanced audiences. If conditions permit, indoor venues may be incorporated in spring 2021. The orchestra’s music education program will serve students through online sessions modeled after those that were provided this spring when schools were closed. The originally planned 2020-21 season was to have included collaborations with groups including the Alexandria Choral Society, Alexandria Film Festival, BalletNOVA, and the National Symphony Orchestra horn section. This summer the orchestra convened a task force consisting of trustees, musicians, staff, and community members to consider the feasibility of presenting the subscription series, which had been announced prior to the COVID-19 crisis. The task force recommended the postponement to protect the health of patrons, musicians, staff, and volunteers. “ASO Music Director Jim Ross put together a thrilling package of programs for this coming season,” said ASO Executive Director George Hanson. “It breaks our hearts not to be able to present them as planned due to the current health crisis. To preserve the integrity of Jim’s vision, we have moved the entire season’s programming, virtually intact, into the 2021-2022 season.”
