The Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra will close its doors June 30, leaving Lee and Charlotte counties without the professional orchestra they’ve had for 64 years. Operational restrictions, increased performance costs and loss of state funding contributed to the decision.
“After much consideration and given recent leadership departures at the staff and board levels, the board of trustees has determined that the only course of action is to close the Southwest Florida Symphony,” board of trustees President Tom Uhler said in a statement April 29.
“It was a difficult decision, and I’m proud of the board’s commitment to the Symphony with consideration for the staff, the musicians, the donors and community. We appreciate everyone’s support over the years.”
The decision was one of fiscal responsibility, he said in a later interview. Uhler recalled that the orchestra had come through a crisis a dozen years ago, during the recession, by appealing to the public with a Save Our Symphony campaign after it had cut staff to minimal. Last year, the orchestra was hurt again by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to zero out almost all arts fundings, a $143,874 loss to the organization. The orchestra held a fundraiser to help make up the difference.
“But the problem is those are a shot in the arm,” he said. “It doesn’t serve the long-term problem.
“You may not have the perfect storm, but you have a pretty bad storm,” he continued. “You’ve got classical music struggling all across the country because younger people who are retiring now did not grow up with classical music, so they’re not going to support it.
“There are limited venues,” he continued. “We don’t own a hall, so we’re at the mercy of the few halls that are available at whatever cost. And there’s getting to be more and more competition all the time.”
Just recently, for example, Fort Myers became a selected venue for Candlelight Concerts, operated by a Spain-based organization. Those feature pops and light classical material performed by an assembled quartet, brass ensemble or piano, with a mood set by electric candlelight.
Natural disasters, such as hurricanes Irma and Ian and the COVID-19 pandemic played a strong role.
“The pandemic and then the storms really did cut attendance,” he said.
“It’s just everything falling together,” Uhler concluded.
Ironically, attendance had been increasing this past season for the orchestra.
“But it still isn’t enough, because I think 20 years ago, we probably had earned income around 40%,” he said of ticket sales’ contribution to the budget. “Now we’re down to around 20%.
“You can’t raise your ticket prices too much because obviously that chases people off, too. It’s just that the costs keep going up and the income doesn’t.”
The orchestra leaves a void in regional live orchestral music presentations. Each season, the orchestra presented a series of Masterworks Concerts, Pops Concerts and Holiday Pops Concerts at both the 1,850-seat Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers and multiple smaller venues throughout Lee and Charlotte counties.
Lee County will not be without orchestral music. The Fort Myers-based Gulf Coast Symphony, which incorporates professional and volunteer musicians, also offers regional concerts. It has recently expanded its concerts with the opening of the 300-seat Music and Arts Community Center in 2021 in south Fort Myers and performs 15 shows at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. Its programming, however, hews more toward pops music.
The Southwest Florida Symphony had moved through a series of music directors over the last several years, and Executive Director Amy Ginsburg announced she would leave June 30.
“We are honored to have the longtime support of many donors, supporters and concert goers who have shared our love for orchestral music over the years,” the statement from Uhler said. “While we bid farewell to this chapter, the Southwest Florida Symphony team remains committed to preserving the rich legacy of orchestral music and its impact on the community.”
The orchestra was established as the Fort Myers Symphony in 1961 as a community orchestra consisting of 24 volunteer musicians. The symphony performed concerts in community centers, schools and churches, growing a regional following. In 1981, it merged with a chorus and became the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Association.
