The San Antonio Philharmonic in a recent concert. Photo courtesy of San Antonio Philharmonic.
“When the 83-year-old San Antonio Symphony folded last year, many classical music lovers worried the city would be left without an orchestra for the foreseeable future,” writes Deborah Martin in Wednesday’s (1/18) San Antonio Express-News. “Bassoonist Brian Petkovich, who played with the symphony for 25 years, was not among them…. Instead of having no symphony orchestra, the city now has two classical music groups filling that void. Petkovich leads the San Antonio Philharmonic, which emerged from the symphony’s collapse. Another organization, Classical Music Institute, stepped in to provide musicians for performances by Ballet San Antonio and Opera San Antonio, which the symphony previously had done…. Last year … [Bexar County] Commissioners Court approved grants giving a total of $525,000 to CMI and $325,000 to the Philharmonic…. While neither group is a large-scale orchestra, as was the San Antonio Symphony, they both are focused on growth and have big plans for the future.”
