Page 20 - BusinessWest August 3, 2020

COVID-19/THE ARTS >>
Developments of Note
While Playing the Waiting Game, SSO Keeps the Music Coming
By George O’Brien
Susan Beaudry called it a ‘stop the presses’ moment — quite literally.
Indeed, the program book for an adjust-
ed, and truncated, 2020-21 season for the Spring- field Symphony Orchestra (SSO) was at Hadley Printers back in April, and the presses were set to roll. But at the very last moment, the order was canceled.
“People are afraid, still, to make
a commitment — they’re not sure they want to gather in large groups, or they’re not sure what their financial situation is going to be.”
“The tenor of our industry was ... ‘I wouldn’t say anything, I wouldn’t announce a season,’” said Beaudry, adding that, back then, as the number of cases in this state and around the country were soaring, industry groups were
advising that it didn’t make sense to put a sched- ule down in black and white. And it still doesn’t.
“When you’re selling, which is what we’re doing when we announce a season, it’s very dif- ficult in this climate,” she told BusinessWest. “People are afraid, still, to make a commitment — they’re not sure they want to gather in large groups, or they’re not sure what their finan-
cial situation is going to be. They’re not going
to pre-buy for a concert that may be months away; we just felt it was an awful lot to ask our patrons and the community to make that kind of commitment.”
This episode captures, in poignant fashion, the state of limbo in which the SSO, and most all other institutions of its kind, now resides.
In short, the future is unknown, and when
it comes to live performances before real audi- ences — the absolute lifeblood of these orches- tras — it comes down to a waiting game. A wait for a vaccine, most probably, or perhaps an effective treatment for the virus. Something that will prompt the governor of the state to give the green light for phase 4 of his reopening plan.
“We’re listening and waiting,” Beaudry said. “We’re not planning based on our needs or our
Susan Beaudry says that, while waiting for the green light to start its new season, the SSO is busy with everything from fundraising to building its brand to undertaking a strategic plan.
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