Overview
- Rehearsals resumed and the orchestra will play a chamber program at the Musical Instrument Museum followed by full concerts in downtown Phoenix beginning Thursday, Nov. 12.
- The board suspended the season because of an immediate cash shortfall and multi-year deficits, and 66 full-time musicians were laid off when their contracts and benefits lapsed on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
- Community fundraisers and donor commitments raised more than $2 million to stabilize operations and the board says the new funding will carry the organization through Dec. 31.
- The board has launched an 11-member Next Movement commission to propose changes to governance, fundraising and operations even as donor restrictions and a contested trust payout complicate longer-term planning.
- Musicians say the pause and layoffs caused deep personal and financial hardship and they are pressing for transparency and a durable plan to protect jobs, benefits and community programs going forward.