Gulf Coast Symphony Updates and Free Music Resources

Friday, March 20, 2020

Dear Gulf Coast Symphony family,

I hope you are all safe and well, and taking the same precautions as the Symphony staff has initiated to protect ourselves and our families from COVID-19.  As we get used to working from our homes, surrounded by our loved ones, and in the case of three of us – Sam, Ryan and myself – having a small child around while we work, it is most definitely an adjustment.  But it is also a blessing too, as I normally spend so many days and nights away from my family running this great organization.

The Symphony staff is working hard putting final touches on next season and looking for new and creative ways to stay focused on our core mission – bringing our Community Together Through Music.  I am excited to announce that we will be launching a new Online Learning Center, with all type of content, from archival recordings, to newly created learning materials for people of all ages to learn more about music.  Keep your eyes on our website, social media channels, and these emails for more information.

In addition, we are curating a list of free online streams that we as a staff find interesting and you can supplement you listening pleasure.  From Broadway to the Metropolitan Opera, from the Berlin Philharmonic to the Philadelphia Orchestra, there are some terrific resources to help fill your days with great musical performances as we wait for this pandemic to subside. View our collection of free resources here.

One final programming note about our current season.  In an abundance of precaution, we have now postponed or canceled the remainder of our current season, through June 30.  We have done our best to reschedule as many of these productions as possible. Our production of The Music Man, which we had hoped to just postpone a few weeks will now take place in the fall, November 7 & 8, 2020.   This means that our production of Rigoletto will be cancelled and moved to our 2021-2022 season.

We will be in touch with our ticket holders to discuss their options over next few weeks.  We are a small staff, so please be patient!  We can’t wait to return to the wonderful Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, and bring you THE MUSIC YOU LOVE TO HEAR!

Musically yours,

Andrew Kurtz

COVID-19: A Message from Music & Executive Director Andrew Kurtz

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

I write to provide an update on the Gulf Coast Symphony’s plans regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. While our mission is to bring our community together through music, our first priority is to protect the health of our patrons, artists, musicians, staff members, and community. With the changes in the local situation and the current guidance of the CDC, the Gulf Coast Symphony has suspended our activities through May 1. 

This has required us to reschedule our upcoming productions. The Gulf Coast Symphony plans to return to the stage of the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at FSW on Friday May, 8 (March 29 tickets) and Saturday, May 9 (March 28 tickets) with The Music Man.  Fortunately we have been able to retain the services of our tremendously gifted Broadway cast, who were sent home mid-rehearsal for everyone’s safely. Our co-production of Coppélia with Gulfshore Ballet will be moved to the fall, October 3, and our production of Rigoletto will move to November 8.

If you already have tickets for these shows, you do not have to do anything with your current tickets.  They will be honored at the theater.  However, if you are unable to attend these rescheduled performances, we hope that you’ll consider donating their value as tax-deductible contribution, to help us through this crisis. Or, you can also receive a credit towards a future Gulf Coast Symphony performance.  Please use the form below to let us know how you would like to us to handle this.  We are processing many requests, so we ask your patience as we respond.

Click here to fill out the rescheduled concert ticket form.

We urge all our friends and patrons to follow the advice of public health experts, officials, and their physicians, and to stay home, especially if you are experiencing any signs of illness. Since this is a rapidly evolving situation, we thank you in advance for your patience, and as a non-profit organization, we sincerely thank you for your continued support as we all navigate this scenario together.

Sincerely,

Andrew M. Kurtz
Gulf Coast Symphony
Music & Executive Director

The Gulf Coast Symphony administrative offices remain operational, though our staff is working remotely. If you have questions or concerns, we are here to help.  If you have questions about your tickets, please call our Patron Services Manager, 239-277-1700 x2, Monday-Friday from 11:00 a.m-4:00 p.m., or email us at boxoffice@gulfcoastsymphony.org