Faced with uncertainty about when we can again pack concert halls, Bach Festival cancels 2020 event.

Over 85 years, since it was founded, the Carmel Bach Festival has put on concerts big and small. There are choral ensembles in churches, contemporary compositions in the Sunset Center, intimate quartets in smaller venues. They've put on acclaimed masterworks and world premiers. And they've only canceled twice before, both times during World War II, and kept the tradition going every year for 75 years straight. 

That is until this year. In an open letter from the nonprofit's leadership team dated April 27, they announced they are canceling their 2020 event, scheduled for July. 

"Our top priority is to protect and preserve the Festival family, whose loyalty and generosity have sustained this organization for an amazing 82 performance seasons," they wrote. "In that context, after much consultation and soul searching, we conclude that we have no choice but to cancel the 2020 Festival. Even if the country begins to reopen, it would be too risky.

"We further believe that the federal, state, county and city rules and regulations will prevent us from gathering in large numbers for a while."

Monterey County's existing shelter-in-place order is set to expire on May 3, but County Health Officer Edward Moreno has already indicated he will extend it.

"During this difficult time of social distancing and prohibition of public gatherings, we appreciate even more the special defining characteristics of our festival exhilarating performances and a special sense of intimacy and connection within the Festival family, that is, our performing artists, staff, volunteers, audiences, and the members of the larger community in which we live and work," Bach Festival President Cyril Yansouni, Artistic Director/Principal Conductor Paul Goodwin and Executive Director Steve Friedlander wrote in the letter. 

It means Goodwin—who announced just a few weeks ago that he'll retire next year, after a decade at the helm—will have just one more Bach Festival season. 

For ticket-holders for the 2020 festival, you have three options: Donate the ticket value to the festival; get a full refund; or place the tickets on hold, meaning you can apply the cash value to tickets for 2021.

The dates for the next festival are July 17-31, 2021.