The San Francisco Symphony on Wednesday announced the cancellation of all concerts remaining in its 2019-20 season as well as pay cuts affecting nearly 200 workers due to shelter-in-place orders to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The move to call off programming through Aug. 1 brings the symphony’s total number of canceled events to 64 and represents a step further than most arts presenters have taken. It comes a day after California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a press conference that concerts won’t resume until the final phase of reopening the economy—still months away.
Because the season marks the end of Michael Tilson Thomas’ quarter century tenure as music director, the symphony is also launching a 25-day “digital celebration” of his career. In a statement, Thomas said that the season’s cancellation saddens him greatly. “We would have been performing essential works in which we have developed our special sound, style and collaboration.”
The symphony has been dormant since the second week of March, when local officials forbade non-essential gatherings in city-owned facilities. According to the announcement, the symphony faces more than $13 million in lost revenue and $5.4 million in net losses due to the cancellations of Davies Symphony Hall and SoundBox events as well as a three-week tour to New York and Europe.
To counter the losses, the symphony is implementing what leadership in the statement call “shared sacrifice” reductions: Stagehands, staff and members of the orchestra and chorus have agreed to salary reductions averaging 25 percent in effect from April 19 to Sept. 5. Thomas will not be compensated for canceled concerts. All workers retain healthcare and insurance benefits.
