The New York Philharmonic and Music Director Jaap van Zweden in David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, pre-pandemic. Photo by Chris Lee
“On Tuesday, the New York Philharmonic announced that has canceled all of its scheduled concerts through June 13, 2021,” writes Anastasia Tsioulcas on Tuesday (10/13) at National Public Radio. “It is the first time in the orchestra’s 178-year history that it has canceled an entire season…. Tuesday’s announcement … comes just days after the Broadway League announced that Broadway will remain closed until at least May 30. In a press release, the orchestra’s president and CEO, Deborah Borda, called the season cancellation both unprecedented and ‘devastating, both in its impact on the morale of musicians and audiences, and in its profound economic consequences.’ A spokesperson for the Philharmonic told NPR that the orchestra had experienced a $10 million net loss due to the coronavirus shutdown for its 2020 fiscal year, which ended on Aug. 31…. In the interim, the Philharmonic has taken up some intimately scaled outdoor performances … that are manageable as long as the weather allows, but will be much harder to sustain as winter approaches. But the orchestra has promised to continue to provide streamed performances to the public, and says that it is moving ahead with plans to renovate its home venue at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.”
