TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

TUCSON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA goes live in 2021

By Beverly Medlyn

For the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, keeping people safe during the coronavirus pandemic goes far beyond offering socially distanced seating for smaller audiences wearing face masks.

Sometimes the stage can be just as packed as the performance venue. How to protect musicians — not just from one another but from the aerosol drift from instruments? Cut the orchestra size in half? Only perform works suitable for small ensembles?

Considering those complex challenges led to a simple decision: postpone the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO) 2020-2021 season, which would have started this fall, until the fall of 2021.

Meanwhile, the TSO team is developing a digital platform for an art form that traditionally hasn’t had one.

“One thing this type of crisis does — for any business, whether arts, restaurants or travel — is expose your vulnerabilities but also your opportunities,” says Steven P. Haines, symphony president and CEO. “I want to align all digital enhancements with our core mission of live performance, engaging our audience in ways that will benefit the organization not just in the short-term, but for the long-term.”

By way of comparison, Haines likens the effort to what professional sports teams have done over the past decade — using technology to enhance the live experience in the stadium and in people’s homes.

The TSO Digital Stage which launched on September 25 does just that, giving audiences an up-close view of the orchestra through ensemble performances, interviews, children's programming and presentations by TSO music director José Luis Gomez and other TSO musicians.

TSO will employ the same dual approach to its comprehensive arts education program, serving 35,000 students in the region. Students will be able to watch recorded performances online, listen to interviews with musicians and then see a live performance at their school when tours resume.

“Online programming will expand TSO’s reach, bringing music to new audiences at home and hopefully inspiring them to enjoy live performance in 2021,” Haines says.

“Some great ideas will come out of this that will be long lasting,” he says.

For more, visit tucsonsymphony.org.