For what would have been its 75th season, Monterey Symphony announced on July 6th, that their 2020-2021 performances will be shifted an entire year. The announcement comes on the heels of an another, in which the Symphony stated they were able to pay their musicians for missed work because of money they received through a trust.
"It's been a fascinating, complicated and tumultuous time to be in the arts. And we're so grateful to have been able that we were able to compensate all of our musicians for all the work that was lost in March, April and May," Executive Director Nicola Reilly states on the Symphony's YouTube page.
But it's a preface. The reality, as Reilly explains, is that live in-person gatherings and performance arts are not in the state's and county's top priorities in terms of reopening. This applies to the Sunset Center which has remained closed as a music venue through the entirety of shelter in place.
"We are also deeply aware that there is not yet a reopening date for Sunset Center, and live performances and concerts sit squarely in the Phase IV of the reopening plan," Reilly states.
The silver lining is that the Symphony offices have moved to Carmel on Seventh and San Carlos. Reilly says that office is uniquely positioned with two balconies, from where they hope to share some live musical performance from afar. The Symphony also plans on releasing archival recordings in the next twelve months.