SAN ANTONIO — In what would've been their first in-person performance since March, the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA) is calling off their December 19 and 20 concerts at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts due to concerns over COVID-19.
The decision to cancel its first shows of the 2020/2021 season wasn't an easy choice for leadership to make. Since August the orchestras, which serve more than 400 young musicians, have been practicing for the upcoming winter showcase.
"It feels amazing to know I can get back to playing music," said Ian Fernandes, a violinist for YOSA Philharmonic, prior to canceling.
The recent cancellation marks another lost for the Tobin Center. Since reopening under the governor's directive in June, President and CEO Michael Fresher said scheduling and rescheduling performing acts continues to be an ongoing challenge. However, he added his staff is operating the theater under CDC protocols and below capacity.
"Many of our safety protocols include hand sanitizer and masks for everyone that comes into the building. We temperature scan everyone that comes into the building prior to them entering the building. We also use an electrostatic cleaner to clean the building before every performance," said Fresher.
Noticeably, the biggest change at the theater is the seating arrangement.
"We can literally take every other row and flip it underneath into the basement and make it disappear. This allows for six feet between each row. When we are seating people in the seats, we make sure that we leave two seats open between each group of patrons so we have six feet of social distancing in the row as well," he said.
Despite efforts made, YOSA ultimately canceled due to the recent rise in local coronavirus cases. The organization released this statement:
"Out of an abundance of caution for our YOSA musicians, faculty, and staff, the YOSA concerts scheduled for December 19 and December 20 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts have been canceled. YOSA will instead offer a virtual performance experience for our musicians and release a special virtual performance video in January 2021."
In response, Fresher said the choice to play is up to the performing acts.
"The Tobin Center’s resident arts organizations make their own decisions about programming and whether or not events will be cancelled for various reasons. The Tobin Center is and will continue to be as safe a place as possible due to the advanced safety protocols that have been put into place. The Tobin Center finishes its final weekend of a three weekend, twelve performance run of Ballet San Antonio’s Nutcracker as well as the continuing twenty performance run of Doc Watkins’s holiday show in the Studio theater. With social distancing and sanitation measures, The Tobin Center is meeting and exceeding CDC regulations."
A YOSA spokeswoman said the organization hopes to play at the Tobin Center by the middle of 2021.