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A Must Read for all Symphony Lovers

Open Letter from Jon Garland
Chairman, Symphony Syracuse Foundation

The Syracuse Symphony was the pride of our arts community, and its closure after 50 years was an enormous loss. Whether it was through ticket purchases, donations, or sponsorships, many people invested in the SSO and helped build it into something of which we can all be proud. While many of us have focused on our individual losses, the loss to our community was much larger. School and educational performances have disappeared, library concerts by symphony ensembles have vanished, and concerts downtown have been reduced to just a few performances.

In some cases no orchestra emerges after a bankruptcy, and in others a reorganization happens years later. The musicians of the SSO decided to do what we could to keep playing for all of you until a more stable future could be arranged. Symphony Syracuse was the result of our efforts, and we are thrilled to have given 25 well-attended performances since July of last year.

There have been some initial efforts to restructure the orchestra in a more permanent way, and we have been working together with many people to restore a full professional orchestra here in Syracuse. We are hopeful that a bright future awaits for the orchestra, our city, and our region.