In New York, a white year is shaping up for culture

After the announcements of the Metropolitan Opera and the Broadway theaters, the ax has just fallen for the New York Philharmonic, which will not offer any concerts for the upcoming 2020-2021 season. In 178 years, this is the first time that the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States has canceled a full season. With nearly 25,000 dead since the start of the pandemic, New York is one of the worst affected cities in the country. In the state, all indoor shows remain prohibited.

The “Phil” had already announced in June 2020 to draw a line on the fall programming of its calendar. With this new announcement, the orchestra is giving up concerts in its usual venue, David Geffen Hall, at least until June 13. This cancellation “ is not only unprecedented, it is devastating, both for the morale of musicians and the public, but also for its profound economic consequences Commented CEO Deborah Borda.

Instead, the establishment will offer a few pre-recorded online concerts and performances in the streets of the city as it did this fall with the project ” Bandwagon “. This closure will be an opportunity for the New York Philharmonic to bring forward the start date of the renovation work on its performance hall, which has been planned for a long time.

At the Met, a white year for programming and black for employees

At the end of September, the Metropolitan Opera had also announced that it would not reopen before the end of the season, in 2021. According to the general manager of the prestigious opera, Peter Gelb, the “Met” lives ” the most difficult period »That he has known in 137 years of existence. ” It is clear that no institution is immune to financial failure. “To survive, it will take “Globally reduce our costs”, he added.

The situation could thus have repercussions on the employees of the opera. The dish “ seems determined to take advantage of the period to slash [leurs] contracts », Warned the union AGMA. These budget cuts would lead ” the individual and family situation of [ses] members [à devenir] financially untenable “. By then, the reopening program has already been announced. The 2021-2022 season should start with the play Fire Shut Up in My Bones, composed by jazz musician Terence Blanchard and commissioned by opera.

New York sans « New York, New York »

The city of theater and especially Broadway has been deprived of musicals and plays for more than six months. On October 9, the Broadway League announced that all of its halls, emblematic of New York’s live entertainment, would be closed at least until the end of May 2021. The entertainment district, one of New York’s economic engines – with 33 million dollars in revenue per week before the pandemic – would thus be closed for 14 months. A first.

The reopening of cinemas will not be immediately in the largest city of the United States. « We will continue to monitor the available data and the science, and make the decision to reopen when the experts assure us it’s safe. The state governor told local US media NY1. A bad signal for distributors, already strongly affected by the crisis.

AMC Theaters, America’s largest movie theater chain, warned on October 13 that it could be short of funds by the end of 2020, the news site reports The Verge.

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