Looks like Bass Performance Hall won't be reopening this year after all.
The company that manages Bass Hall, Performing Arts Fort Worth (PAFW), announced it will not reopen the venue for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's (FWSO) upcoming performances as initially planned. Instead, Bass Hall will remain closed through December.
For now, the symphony will host all concerts at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium.
“We were extremely surprised to receive this disappointing news just two weeks before the opening of our Symphonic Series, especially after working with Bass Hall management all summer on detailed plans for a safe reopening,” FWSO president and CEO Keith Cerny said in a statement. “Luckily, Will Rogers Auditorium was able to accommodate the addition of our symphonic performances this fall with only minimal schedule changes. We are grateful for their swift assistance and for the understanding of our patrons and musicians. This decision by PAFW was completely unexpected, but we look forward to resuming performances at Bass Performance Hall when they open their doors in early 2021.”
Performances will resume Sept. 11, when the symphony performs with Asleep at the Wheel as part of its Pops Series.
The symphony will abide by several safety protocols in light of COVID-19. For each performance, patrons will need to pass temperature checks and wear masks for the duration of the show. Seating in the performance chamber will be distanced, playbills will be digital, and there will be no intermissions.
Additionally, symphony musicians themselves will undergo COVID-19 testing prior to each weekend of concerts. Other safety measures include social distancing on stage, regular temperature checks, acrylic screens to control airflow, bell covers for woodwind and brass, and masks for the string section.
With concerts now being held at Will Rogers, the symphony announced new dates for four of its performances:
Symphonic 1
Sept. 18 – 20, 2020
Patrick Summers, conductor
Stewart Goodyear, piano
ROSSINI: Overture to The Barber of Seville
SAINT-SAËNS: Piano Concerto No. 2
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 4, “Italian”
Symphonic 2
Oct. 16 – 18, 2020
Roderick Cox, conductor
Artyom Dervoed, guitar
PROKOFIEV: Classical Symphony, Op. 25
RODRIGO: Concierto de Aranjuez
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 6
Symphonic 3
Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2020
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Karen Gomyo, violin
BERNSTEIN: Serenade
MOZART: Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter”
Symphonic 4
Nov. 13 – 15, 2020
Nicole Paiement, conductor
Stanislav Chernyshev, clarinet
STRAVINSKY: Suite from Pulcinella
COPLAND: Clarinet Concerto
COPLAND: Suite from Appalachian Spring
More information is available at fwsymphony.org.
