Due to the increasingly incliment weather of recent years that has forced them to cancel individual performances, conductor Vincent La Selva has cancelled the entire summer season of New York Grand Opera's free Central Park concerts.
"It wasn’t an easy decision, after 39 years," Mr. La Selva said. "But the last three years have been really difficult. We’ve lost a performance each year. And although the concerts are free to the listeners, they cost us $75,000 to $80,000, once you take into account the cost of the lighting, the sound system, the permits and the musicians. With the orchestra, for example, I have to pay the full fee unless I let them know a certain time in advance – I think it’s 48 hours – that I’m going to cancel. But there’s no way you can know, and lately, the likelihood that it will rain has been increasing."
Mr. La Selva will no longer be holding outdoor performances at any of the other city parks, either, but will be substituting them with indoor venues. He has been considering presenting a fall season at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, on 86th Street and West End Avenue, where they have performed some of their rained out shows in the past because of their superior accoustics.
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Photo Credit: D Guides
