Allentown, PA, April 14, 2020 –  As the safety of the Allentown Symphony Association's (ASA) audience, musicians, visiting guest artists, staff, volunteers, and board continues to be its top priority, the ASA announced an extension of event cancellations of ASA-promoted events at Miller Symphony Hall and elsewhere through Sunday, June 21. Private rental events at Miller Symphony Hall up to this time are being handled on a case-by-case basis.  The ASA had previously announced cancellations/postponements of events through April 30.

“Unfortunately, we have to make further cancellations due to safety concerns, government mandates, and loss of preparation time,” Al Jacobsen, Executive Director of the Allentown Symphony Association, announced today.

Jacobsen went on to explain that “even if we are allowed to open the hall in May or June, there has been too much disruption in our processes to execute these events in a successful manner.  This includes time to properly market and sell tickets. We are, however, remaining active and relevant as an organization during this time by employing numerous technological resources available to us.”

The most up-to-date information on cancellations/postponements may be found by visiting http://www.MillerSymphonyHall.org or by calling 610.432.6715.

In response to this crisis, the ASA has launched a new initiative, Miller Symphony Hall @ Home (mshathome.org) which includes online streaming of past performances and original content. On April 11, in partnership with Service Electric, Diane Wittry and the Allentown Symphony Orchestra’s (ASO) performance of Verdi’s Requiem from 2019 was made available for streaming in its entirety.  Content for Miller Symphony Hall @ Home is being updated weekly and includes performances from popular series including Jazz Upstairs, the ASO classical series, ASO Series at St. John’s and links to the Met Live in HD streaming series.

Below is a listing of cancellations at Miller Symphony Hall from May 1 – June 21:

May 1:    Jazz Upstairs – Zen for Primates

May 3:    The Allentown Band “The Twenties Roar” (previously cancelled by the ATB)

May 9:     Women Rock, ASO Pops concert

May 10:   Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda – The Met Live in HD (previously cancelled by the Met)

May 15:   Jazz Upstairs – The Dan Wilkins’ Horizons Quartet

May 17:   Arts at St. Johns ASO Series – Robert Fournier, ASO Bass Trombonist (scheduled for   performance at St. John’s Evangelical Church, Allentown)

May 21:   Third Thursday at The Lyric Room

June 4:    El Sistema Lehigh Valley Spring Concert

June 7:   Arts at St. Johns ASO Series – TurksHeadKnot, directed by ASO Principal Bass Peter Paulsen (scheduled for performance at St. John’s Evangelical Church, Allentown)

June 18:  Third Thursday at The Lyric Room

June 19:  Jazz Upstairs – The Frank DiBussolo Group

ABOUT THE ALLENTOWN SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION (ASA)/ALLENTOWN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (ASO)

Operating the Allentown Symphony Orchestra (ASO), El Sistema Lehigh Valley (ESLV) and owner/operator of Miller Symphony Hall, the ASA is one of the region’s premier arts organizations.

Each year, the ASO performs more than 20 classical, pops, educational, and family concerts.  In 2014 and again in 2017, the orchestra received the national American Prize for “orchestral excellence.”  With passion and finesse, the ASO, led by Music Director & Conductor Diane Wittry, plays time-honored masterworks, newly commissioned world premieres, and intriguing repertoire, including works by prominent new composers.

Exciting world-class artists that have performed with the ASO include Midori, Emanuel Ax, Angela Meade, and Peter Serkin, as well as jazz trumpeter Byron Stripling, saxophonist Branford Marsalis, and Broadway vocalist Christiane Noll.  The orchestra’s classically trained musicians include players from the major urban centers of New York, Baltimore-D.C., and Philadelphia.

Music Director Diane Wittry, now in her 25th Season with the ASO, is known for her innovative programming style, using video, dancers, subtitles, and other visuals that give her concerts a sense of occasion.  She has been a stellar advocate for music education outreach for all ages and skill levels.  Lehigh Valley native Ron Demkee serves as the ASO’s Associate/Pops Conductor.  The two previous ASO Music Directors were Donald Voorhees, the distinguished conductor of the studio orchestra for NBC’s Emmy-award-winning “The Bell Telephone Hour,” and William Smith, Assistant Conductor to the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy.

The ASO has received music commissioning grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, and from the League of American Orchestras in support of its El Sistema-inspired program for at-risk youth.  The ASA also biennially hosts the National Schadt String Competition which attracts top young performers from all over the world.

As it has for the last 69 years, the ASO continues its pursuit of excellence with passion, keeping alive the legacy of masterworks while bringing the works of modern masters to the concert stage for the entire community.

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