READING, Pennsylvania – As the board and staff of the Reading Symphony Orchestra continue to monitor COVID 19/coronavirus developments in our area, the RSO has decided to cancel the December 31, 2020 New Year’s Eve Concert.
“It is very disappointing to cancel our New Year’s Eve concert. This program is extremely popular with so many people throughout our community,” said David Gross, executive director of the RSO. “We have rescheduled this program for next New Year’s Eve and look forward to gathering at the Santander Performing Arts Center to enjoy a great concert featuring the music of Queen.”
“Our board sincerely hoped that we would not have to cancel another RSO performance this season,” said Michael Duff, president of the RSO Board. “Unfortunately, the continuing uncertainty around the pandemic left us no choice but to make this difficult decision.”
If you are holding tickets for a Reading Symphony Orchestra concert or any other local arts event that has been canceled due to current hardships caused by the health emergency, we respectfully ask you to consider taking a ticket credit or donating the cost of your purchase back to the organization in question. All of us in Berks County have entered into a period that no arts organization could ever possibly plan for – canceled performances and empty houses. Your small gesture of kindness could have a profound effect on the future of that organization, including the Reading Symphony Orchestra. We gratefully thank you for your consideration.
About the Reading Symphony Orchestra
Since 1913, the Reading Symphony Orchestra has been providing uninterrupted access to exceptional classical music to the citizens of Berks County and beyond. Throughout the past 106 years as one of the nation’s continuously operating symphonies, the RSO has performed masterworks from Bach to Beethoven, and many more, and has been joined by illustrious guest soloists including pianists Yuja Wang and Fabio Bidini, violinist Midori, and guitarist Jason Vieaux.
The RSO has blossomed under the artistic leadership of Maestros Harry Fahrbach, Walter Pfeiffer, Hans Kindler, Alexander Hilsberg, Louis Vyner, Sidney Rothstein, and its current music director Andrew Constantine. The orchestra currently performs six concerts annually on its Classics series with additional Pops performances, and collaborations with other community performing arts organizations.
The RSO’s numerous educational and outreach programs continue to benefit the community. Among others, the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra and Junior Strings program gives talented area music students the opportunity to perform advanced orchestral repertoire with like-minded peers under the guidance of high-caliber artistic staff; the Orchestra Zone program provides free private instrumental music lessons to underserved students in the Reading School District; and the Masterclass series gives community members an opportunity to learn from visiting soloists.
For more information, please visit www.readingsymphony.org or call 610-373-7557.
