As people arrived Saturday evening to the Bardavon Opera House to see the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in-person for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they were met by a demonstration.

The protesters were angry about the Bardavon’s policy that guests must present proof of vaccination upon entering, and then wear a mask, except for in designated eating and drinking areas.

“It’s disheartening,” Poughkeepsie City Council Chairperson Sarah Salem said in an interview Monday afternoon. Salem was annoyed the group targeted a live entertainment venue, since the arts industry overall has suffered during the pandemic.

Salem said protestors upsetting guests was the last thing the Bardavon needed, and that the Bardavon is free to institute a vaccination requirement, just as many other indoor entertainment venues have done.

“The protestors, they’re angry because they believe their rights are being infringed upon, which actually, they are not,” Salem said. “It’s a private business that is protected by federal law that they can require proof of vaccination.”

Bardavon Executive Director Chris Silva mostly declined to comment on the protest, writing in an email, “we have no interest in giving these people any more attention than they’ve already received.”

Other council members shared their disappointment.

Councilman Evan Menist said on social media that police handling the protest, which involved a crowd of presumably unvaccinated people who were unmasked, deserved hazard pay for responding.