Fort Worth Symphony to resume live performances for upcoming season amid COVID-19

Live concerts by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra (FWSO) and guest performers will be back for this upcoming season, but with a few changes due to COVID-19.

Audience capacity will be significantly reduced to allow for social distancing and the Symphony’s Pop Up Series will now take place at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium.

There will be also a fourth Saturday matinee performance added to the Symphonic Series, which will remain at Bass Performance Hall.

FWSO officials told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in a statement that Bass Hall has the capacity to seat 2,060 patrons, but that number is now being scaled down to 500 for the new season. For the Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium, its usual capacity of 2,856 patrons is going down to roughly 800. There will be a maximum capacity of 1,417 people that can be in the Will Rogers building, but a spokesperson for FWSO says that it will operate significantly below that.

All audience members will be required to wear a mask throughout the entirety of each concert and will not be able to enter any venue without one.

FWSO explained that there won’t be any intermissions or concessions, the concert programs will be distributed to patrons electronically, there will be hand sanitizing stations at every venue and the seating arrangements for every performance will allow for social distancing.

Subscribers will also be provided new seating arrangements depending on each venue’s restrictions.

FWSO officials also told the Star-Telegram via email that “all patrons must fill out a COVID-19 health questionnaire prior to attending concert to ensure the safety of all guests, musicians and staff.”

Soul Men, Home for the Holidays and Bugs Bunny at the Symphony are some of the performances lined up for the Symphony’s 2020-2021 season.

Single ticket sales start on Aug. 6 and ticket sales for a special concert with renowned international cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, start on Sept. 8. Tickets can be purchased online at fwsymphony.org.

“We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is still here in Texas, unfortunately, which is why we modified our schedule to ensure our patrons are safe and socially-distant while experiencing the power of live music,” said Keith Cerny, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Symphony Orchestra. “Music is a healing force that brings the community together. The FWSO hopes this season can serve as a symbol of hope and inspiration for the North Texas community and beyond.”

For the performers, a new normal has already been in place since the Symphony’s America Strong concert for the Fourth of July holiday.

Cerny told the Star-Telegram in a previous interview that the Symphony Orchestra worked with local and national unions to devise a safety plan for performers.

For this upcoming season, there will only be 40 musicians on stage for performances at Bass Hall and 30 musicians on stage for performances at Will Rogers.

All strings, percussion and keyboardists will wear masks at all times, even during performances. Woodwinds and brass performers will have Plexiglas shields and will wear a mask when they are not playing.

FWSO officials say that there will not be any changes to ticket pricing.

This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 5:30 AM.