HOUSTON (March 12, 2020) – The Houston Symphony announced that it is cancelling all remaining concerts in the month of March 2020 in order to protect the health of audiences, musicians, and staff.
“We want to be completely compliant with Judge Hidalgo’s recommendation to avoid all public gatherings over 250 people,” explained Executive Director, CEO, and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair John Mangum. “The nature of our art form means that not only do we typically have thousands of people in the audience on any given night, but we also may have hundreds of musicians in close quarters onstage. In light of this, the responsible thing to do is to cancel performances, and continue to closely monitor the situation and follow the guidance and recommendations of our local health officials, the CDC, and the WHO.”
The concerts affected by the cancellations are:
• Adams’ El Niño, March 14 and 15, 2020
• Swing to Rock with Dave Bennett, March 20, 21, and 22, 2020
• Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, March 26, 28, and 29, 2020
The Chamber Music Series Concert with Cédric Tiberghien, previously scheduled for March 27, 2020 will now be rescheduled for a later date. The Symphony will also pause community engagement activity through the end of the month.
The Houston Symphony is a key contributor to Houston’s nonprofit arts and cultural community, which is a vital part of Houston’s economy. The unexpected loss of event-dependent revenue and related decline in charitable contributions is still being felt in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey just 3 years ago, and is expected to grow over time as a result of this recent health crisis. The Houston Symphony is currently reaching out to ticket-holders for the cancelled concerts via email, phone, web, and social media to ask that they:
• exchange their ticket(s) for another scheduled performance in 2020─the Symphony is waiving all exchange fees─or
• donate the cost of the tickets to the Symphony. The Symphony will provide a donation form for the ticket value for tax purposes.
• The Houston Symphony Patron Services Center is available by phone to answer any questions or help with exchanges at 713.224.7575 during operating hours: Monday–Saturday, 12 noon–6 p.m.
The Houston Symphony is currently exploring the feasibility of making archival and future Houston Symphony audio and/or visual performances available via broadcast on TV, radio, or digital channels to remain accessible to audiences throughout this time.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: 713.337.8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
###