The show will go on
March 26, 2020
A message from Executive Director Jason Hodges
The show will go on.
The part of my job I love the most is standing on stage in the glow of the spotlight and welcoming you to a performance. I love to hear your applause and see your smiling faces in anticipation of the show that is about to begin.
The last time I got to do that was the weekend of March 6, at Portland Cello Project and again the next night at PUBLIQuartet. Those were two amazing shows. At the time, I did not know they would be my last curtain speeches of the season.
Our world changed quickly with the spread of COVID-19 and with the mandates from our community officials to temporarily stop large public gatherings. Once that decision was made for our community’s health and safety, the staff of Anchorage Concert Association, in conjunction with the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, our partners across the state, and the many artists we had scheduled to come to Anchorage, began to cancel and postpone shows for the rest of this season.
Previously, we had announced cancellations for the remainder of March. As of now, we are cancelling or postponing, where possible, all shows for the rest of this season. The shows affected are
- Music City Hit Makers
- Eileen Ivers
- Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
- Ensemble Mik Nawooj
- The King and I
- Meow Meow
- The Piano Guys
These are difficult decisions. Anchorage Concert Association exists to bring people together in large numbers to enjoy live performing arts. When we can no longer gather, it strikes at the heart of our organization and our sense of community.
It’s been nearly two weeks since we began canceling and postponing shows. We still do not have final details on all the events we had scheduled. We are in negotiations with artists and agents to determine which shows will have to be cancelled, which shows can be booked for a future season like 2021/2022, and which shows will have a slot in the upcoming 2020/2021 season, which we hope will begin in September. As I said, the show will go on.
Because of your support, ACA is in a healthy position to ride this crisis out. Know that your investment in a ticket to an Anchorage Concert Association event is safe. Once we make final determinations on these shows, we will reach out and provide you with options. Ticket holders will have the option to
- Keep your ticket to any postponed event
- Receive a refund if the show is cancelled
- Earn credit to a future event if a postponement doesn’t work for you or a show is cancelled
One other idea I urge you consider is turning your tickets to a show into a donation to Anchorage Concert Association. Your donation will help us continue our work during this challenging time. In addition, we will share a portion of the donated tickets with the artists who had to cancel so they can continue to have income while they are unable to perform.
Anchorage Concert Association staff are working from their homes to ensure that you, your family, and you friends will continue to have access to the world class performing arts you’ve come to count on from us. We continue to plan for the 2020/2021 season which we hope will start in September. We anticipated announcing the season in early May. This may still happen, but with the uncertainty in our world right now, I cannot promise we will. When we do announce, you will be among the first to hear about the great shows you will be able to see right here in Anchorage.
I look forward to the future when we can emerge from our homes and comfortably gather as humans with less than six feet of social distancing between us to enjoy each other’s company, live music, and performing arts. I look forward to standing on the stage, in the glow of the spotlight and welcoming you back to our shows at the performing arts center.
The show will go on, and it will happen with your continued faith and support in our work at the Anchorage Concert Association.
Sincerely,
Jason Hodges
Executive Director
Anchorage Concert Association
