Oregon Symphony Has Canceled All of Its In-Person Concerts for the Foreseeable Future

The symphony has now scrapped almost 80 shows due to the pandemic.

(Wesley Lapointe)

The Oregon Symphony has canceled all in-person concerts through next summer.

In July, the symphony called off all of its shows through the end of the year due to the pandemic, totaling 43 performances in Portland and more than 200 educational and outreach programs statewide.

Now, with the spread of COVID-19 worse than ever before, the organization has dropped just about everything else it had on its calendar. The 35 concerts that would've taken place in 2021 have now all been canceled, too. The only exception is the premiere of local composer Damien Geter's An African American Requiem, which has been rescheduled for 2022.

“The 2021/22 Season will be announced in early 2021,” reads the announcement. “Until then, Oregon Symphony will explore rescheduling canceled concerts in the 2021/22 Season.”

The cancellations might seem inevitable, but the symphony is one of the first of large Portland arts organizations to make such a sweeping announcement. Other organizations have pivoted their seasons online, or have not yet announced a contingency plan for 2021 shows scheduled to occur in person.

What's more, the symphony's 2020-21 season was going to be music director Carlos Kalmar's 18th and final season before stepping down. Kalmar was scheduled to close out the season in June by conducting Mahler's epic Symphony No. 9.

"I am deeply saddened that our audiences will not have the opportunity to experience live, in-person concerts this season," Kalmar said in the announcement. "I, personally, will miss sharing the joy of music with Oregon audiences and my special connection with patrons that I have enjoyed over the years."

The symphony hopes to resume in-person concerts next fall. Until then, it will continue its robust digital programming.

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