KW Symphony concert cancellation surprises musicians

More than 50 musicians have been left in the lurch after the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra abruptly cancelled its upcoming season the day before they were due to return to work.

The orchestra cited financial difficulties as the reason for its decision and said it would not refund tickets. In a statement, it said ticket holders would be entitled to a tax receipt.

The 78-year-old symphony orchestra is the third largest in Ontario.

Violinist Jung Tsai said she and her colleagues were informed of the news via an email from management Saturday night. Their season was scheduled to begin Sunday.

“It was quite shocking for us,” said Tsai, who has been with the symphony since 2017.

Tsai says that for most of his colleagues, the symphony orchestra is their main source of income.

They also passed up other opportunities because they had already been offered contracts for the coming season.

“Financially, it’s stressful for us, for sure,” she said. “Because before we started, we had taken on all this work, so we were limited in our ability to take on other work.”

KW Symphony violinist Jung Tsai began learning the instrument at age five. (Jeff Pickel/CTV Kitchener)

They now find themselves in limbo with many unanswered questions.

“We hope to understand what caused this, because financial problems arise in many organizations, not just in the music industry… it is important for us to know what happened and who led to this step, because we believe that no matter how serious the situation is, it should not happen like this – everything suddenly stops.”

The reaction online has been strong, with hundreds of people showing their love and support for the orchestra and its members; others have expressed upset at the sudden announcement and lack of refunds.

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic says it’s too early to know where the symphony will go from here, but the city will do what it can to support it.

“In the meantime, the main goal is to let the orchestra know that we are here to support them in all their decisions,” Vrbanovic said.

For Tsai and his colleagues, the music has stopped for now.

“Really, right now, all we can do is wait,” she said.