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San Antonio’s Philharmonic suffered a significant blow Monday night: their concert season has been suspended—with all performances canceled.
Martin Gordon plays bassoon and is spokesperson for the musicians of the Philharmonic.
“We received notification yesterday that the remaining concerts that were on the current schedule had all been canceled,” Gordon said.
This is a major difficulty for the orchestra, as their pay and their performances are tied together.
“Correct. This is currently a per service orchestra, which means you get paid for the services you perform,” he said.
Conversely, you don’t get paid if you don’t perform.
“It's certainly a hardship,” he said. “People will have to do what they have to do to fill in the financial gaps.”
One of the things that they’ve seen fit to do in the past few years is accepting a job with a symphony that is in sound financial shape. Gordon says a departure from the Alamo City is not what the musicians want, but it’s something many will end up doing.
“Certainly, if an opportunity comes across, and that opportunity necessitates them to leave. Yeah, that's a real possibility,” he said.
Just last week Music Director Jeffrey Kahane left his position in San Antonio.
Gordon also notes that many of the Philharmonic players were actually San Antonio Symphony players who went through tough times for years before they became the Philharmonic.
“I think we have a group of musicians that has, that really endured a lot of, how should I say —challenges — but they're always committed and steadfast to go out there and play for our community,” Gordon said.
This latest news is just the last in a long series of events threatening the viability of the Philharmonic.
