The San Francisco Symphony announced the cancellation of all its remaining concerts this year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the measures taken by local governments to slow its spread.
The symphony also canceled its Summer with the Symphony series through Aug. 31, according to a news release sent out Wednesday.
The cancellations come on the heels of a March 14 announcement by the symphony that it would halt concerts until at least April 30 as a result of the city's ban on large public gatherings.
The symphony had also earlier canceled its New York and European tours.
"Our top priority from the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to take care of the people who are the San Francisco Symphony family," San Francisco Symphony CEO Mark C. Hanson said in the news release.
"Realizing that it may be many months from now before we will be allowed to resume normal concert activity, we worked together to implement a shared-sacrifice plan that attempts to balance individual and institutional needs," Hanson said.
Local
The plan was developed to cope with the symphony's $13 million revenue loss caused by the COVID-19 shutdown orders and involves members of the orchestra, chorus, and stagehands agreeing to reduce their salaries by an average of 25 percent from April 19 to Sept. 5, according to symphony officials.
Similar reductions were implemented for staff salaries and Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas will not receive a salary for any canceled concert, symphony officials said.
People are being asked to donate the cost of their tickets back to the symphony or to ask for a gift certificate for the value of their tickets. "This helps support the organization as an arts nonprofit during this challenging time," symphony officials said.
