ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MARCH 22, 2020
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Virus precautions contract local arts scene BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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cottsdale Arts District organizations and museums continue to cancel programming amid coronavirus concerns and restrictions. The Scottsdale Gallery Association suspended its weekly Thursday night ArtWalk series through March 31 “out of an abundance of caution and caring.” Individual galleries remain open, however, including French Designer Jeweler, Royse Contemporary, DeRubeis Fine Art. “We must support our local galleries any way we can during this time,” SGA posted on Facebook, adding it will reassess the return of the weekly ArtWalks on April 1. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and we thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times,” SGA said. Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West (SMoW) canceled the remainder of its programming and public events through May 18. The museum itself is also closed to the public until further notice.
On March 17, the Scottsdale Gallery Association announced the suspension of its weekly Thursday night ArtWalk series through March 31. (Scottsdale Gallery Association)
“Whatever our institution can responsibly and effectively do to support people in taking preventive procedures is the least we can do to reduce the spread of this pandemic virus within our community and elsewhere in the region of the American West this is the very focus of our mission,” said SMoW Director/CEO Mike Fox. Scottsdale Arts also closed the Scotts-
dale Museum of Contemporary Art and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts to the public through at least April 4. Additionally, Scottsdale Arts canceled and postponed a slew of upcoming events. Shows produced by other organizations but held at Scottsdale Arts facilities also were canceled or postponed, including “S.T.A.R.S.: Survivors Take
together the best of the Scottsdale Philharmonic for you to be able to stream, so you can listen and watch from the safety of your home.” At 4 p.m., viewers can visit the Scottsdale Philharmonic website for a video link. “The concerts are great entertainment for the whole family,” Partridge said. Performed by more than 85 professional musicians, the concert will feature music from composers Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt, and Gounod. The Scottsdale Philharmonic’s second spring concert takes place May 17 and
will feature music from composers Bizet, Bernstein, and Lehar. Last year, the Scottsdale Philharmonic launched a full symphonic youth orchestra for all 7th to 12th-grade students. “We just always felt we needed to introduce children into classical music, and so we have a focus on really developing this area,” Partridge said. “We want to make it a learning and growing experience, as well as [make] wonderful music.” Since the Scottsdale Philharmonic was founded in 2012, it has accomplished its three main goals: get Scottsdale residents involved (they now have 120 volunteers),
a Real Stage” originally scheduled for March 22, “Phoenix Symphony: Mendelssohn and Schumann 3” on March 27, Scottsdale Musical Theater Company’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” on March 31 and April 1, and more. “Scottsdale Arts is my family, our staff and volunteers are in my care, and right now my primary responsibility is for their well-being,” said Scottsdale Arts President and CEO Gerd Wuestemann. “At this critical moment, we must sacri�ice a little to do our part in taking control of the spread of this virus. I �irmly believe we will stand together as a people and defeat COVID-19. We will be here in the future to celebrate that moment with great arts experiences,” Wuestemann added. The Scottsdale Historical Museum is also closed. Spokesman Stuart Handley added, “We will hopefully reopen again sometime next month.” But that possibility remained a distant hope for most venues. For updates on closures and cancellations: scottsdalearts.org, mim.org, scottsdalemuseumwest.org
The beat goes on for Scottsdale Philharmonic BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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he Scottsdale Philharmonic’s spring concerts were supposed to kick off today at La Casa de Cristo Lutheran Church in northern Scottsdale. But instead of canceling or postponing amid coronavirus concerns, the Philharmonic will live-stream it instead. “It is with sadness, but precaution, we have canceled the live concert on Sunday, March 22,” said Joy Partridge, co-founder of the Scottsdale Philharmonic. “Since you mean a lot to our orchestra, we put
play great classical music (they’ve performed to audiences comprised of up to 1,800 people), and make all concerts free to the public. “We’ve got a wonderful organization in place and it just made sense for us to step it up to the next level,” Partridge said. “We just feel children are our future, and we have to get them introduced to music.” Under the direction of Dr. Daniel Atwood, the youth orchestra held their �irst concert in November, and their next concert takes place May 12. To view the concert: scottsdalephilharmonic.com.
