Orchestral music will live on despite Symphony’s demise

From Pacific Business News

The liquidation of the Honolulu Symphony Society does not mean the end to live symphonic music performances in Hawaii. It does mean that the nonprofit organization that has orchestrated performances for the past 110 years is officially out of business. That was decided on Monday when U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Robert Faris approved the Society’s request to change its Chapter 11 reorganization to Chapter 7 liquidation.

It also means that when classical music does return to the Blaisdell Concert Hall or other venues, it likely will have new people in charge and a different business model.

The Symphony Society has not staged a performance in more than a year. Following a performance by Ben Vereen with Matt Catingub and the Honolulu Pops Orchestra on Oct. 15, 2009, the society’s board canceled the rest of the 2009-2010 season and declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It made no attempt to schedule a 2010-2011 season as it tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a new contract with the Musicians Association of Hawaii Local 677, part of the American Federation of Musicians. Read more…

> Opera cuts deal with musicians -- Meanwhile, Hawaii Opera Theatre and the Musician’s Association of Hawaii have agreed on a contract that will put nearly 60 musicians in the pit for the 2011 Grand Opera Season. Most of the musicians that will make up the Hawaii Opera Theatre orchestra are members of the Honolulu Symphony and have not played together as a full orchestra since the opera’s 2010 season ended, said a spokesman for the musicians.

Symphony musicians have performed in the Hawaii Opera Theatre’s live orchestra for the past 50 seasons. Since the Honolulu Symphony Society canceled all performances in December 2009, Hawaii Opera Theatre has contracted with the musicians directly through the musicians’ union for both the 2010 and 2011 opera seasons, according to a Hawaii Opera Theatre spokeswoman.