The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2022.
In Monday’s (9/18) Waterloo Region Record (Ontario, Canada), Cheyenne Bholla writes, “The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony has cancelled its 2023/24 season two days before it was set to begin, leaving about 50 musicians without work and ticket holders out hundreds of dollars. The symphony cites ‘financial challenges’ in a notice posted to their website as the reason for the season’s premature end. The symphony’s long-term future is not clear, but the notice said more announcements will be made in the coming days…. Multiple symphony offices did not respond to emails and requests for details by press time. Ticket buyers, musicians, and parents with children in youth programs were notified on Saturday and Sunday. The symphony said it will not refund tickets, but will send tax receipts for all ticket purchases and Youth Orchestra tuition paid to date…. The cancellation came so close to the season’s start, that musicians had already started rehearsals…. The symphony is headed by music director Andrei Feher and performs more than 200 concerts a year. Since its inception in 1945, it has gained national renown and become the third-largest orchestra in Ontario, behind the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.”
