CAPTION: Musicians of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in Poughkeepsie, New York.
In Thursday’s (11/23) Times Union (Poughkeepsie, NY), Lana Bellamy writes, “The Hudson Valley Philharmonic is trying to negotiate a separation agreement with the management of the downtown Poughkeepsie opera house, Bardavon, which has overseen the group since the 1990s. The Orchestra Committee has cited a significant reduction in programming and performances as reasons why it wants to separate [and] keep the long-running program viable. The philharmonic’s Orchestra Committee has been seeking public support for the separation via a change.org petition that has collected more than 1,300 signatures. The petition says the group’s performance schedule has been significantly reduced and urges Bardavon management to ‘do the right thing’ by moving forward with a fair separation and transfer of assets…. The committee’s co-chair and violinist Rachel Crozier said that only three [performances] were scheduled during its last season, but noted they were all sold out, indicating sufficient demand from audiences to support more performances…. The philharmonic’s schedule used to include a concert subscription series and special events, such as opera and recitals…. Crozier said the orchestra is not sustainable with so few opportunities to engage and grow its audience, which the Bardavon notes on its website is a primary challenge for the orchestra…. Bardavon management did not immediately return a request for comment.”
