Musicians blindsided by K-W Symphony’s cancellation of upcoming season
More than 50 musicians have been left in a lurch after the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony abruptly cancelled its upcoming season the day before they were set to return to work.
The symphony has cited financial challenges as the reason for the decision and says it won’t be refunding tickets. In a statement, it says ticket holders will be eligible for a tax receipt.
The 78-year-old symphony is the third largest in Ontario.
Violinist Jung Tsai says she and her colleagues found out via an email from management on Saturday night. Their season was supposed to start on Sunday.
“It was quite shocking to us,” said Tsai, who’s been with the symphony since 2017.
Tsai says for most of her colleagues, the symphony is their primary source of income.
They’ve also passed up other opportunities because they had already been offered contracts for the upcoming season.
“Financially it’s stressful for us for sure,” she said. “Because before we started, we agreed to all this work, so we were limited [from taking] other work.”
K-W Symphony violinist Jung Tsai started learning the instrument at age five. (Jeff Pickel/CTV Kitchener)
Now they’ve been left in limbo with plenty of unanswered questions.
“We are hoping to figure out what caused this because financial problems happen in many organizations it’s not just music… it’s important for us to know what went wrong that led to this stage because we think no matter how severe it is, it shouldn’t go like this – everything just shuts down suddenly.”
Online the reaction has been strong with hundreds showing love and support for the symphony and its members; others upset about the abrupt announcement and the lack of refund.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic says it’s too early to know where the symphony will go from here, but the city will do what it can to support it.
“In the meantime the real focus is on letting the symphony know we’re here to support them as they grapple the full scope of their decisions,” Vrbanovic said.
For Tsai and her colleagues, the music has stopped for now.
“Really, right now all we can do is wait,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From essential goods to common stocking stuffers, Trudeau offering Canadians temporary tax relief
Canadians will soon receive a temporary tax break on several items, along with a one-time $250 rebate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
She thought her children just had a cough or fever. A mother shares sons' experience with walking pneumonia
A mother shares with CTVNews.ca her family's health scare as medical experts say cases of the disease and other respiratory illnesses have surged, filling up emergency departments nationwide.
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.
A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M
A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.
More than 70K Murphy beds recalled across Canada, U.S. over tipping concerns
A popular series of Murphy beds that had been sold online is under a recall in Canada and the U.S. after several reported instances of the furniture detaching from walls.
opinion
opinion Trump's cabinet picks: Useful pawns meant to be sacrificed to achieve his endgame
In his column for CTVNews.ca, Washington political analyst Eric Ham argues U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's controversial cabinet nominees are useful pawns meant to be sacrificed for a more bountiful reward down the line.
REVIEW
REVIEW 'Wicked: Part One' review: This re-imagination of the hit musical is a cinematic showstopper
CTV film critic Richard Crouse says 'Wicked' is a bold, brassy re-imagination of the beloved hit musical that brews up its own cinematic vibe.
Putin says Russia attacked Ukraine with a new missile that he claims the West can't stop
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday that Moscow has tested a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine, and he warned that it could use the weapon against countries that have allowed Kyiv to use their missiles to strike Russia.
Here's a list of items that will be GST/HST-free over the holidays
Canadians won't have to pay GST on a selection of items this holiday season, the prime minister vowed on Thursday.
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
