Coronavirus: Entire Hollywood Bowl 2020 Concert Season Canceled
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- The Hollywood Bowl is canceling its entire 2020 concert season, officials confirmed Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, which operates the Hollywood Bowl, reported that it will be canceling all concerts at both the Hollywood Bowl and its much smaller Ford Theatre. The Hollywood Bowl's concert season typically runs from May through October.
The cancellations are expected to create a staggering $80 million budget shortfall for the LA Phil.
Twenty-five percent of the LA Phil's full-time non-union staff are being furloughed, along with the entire Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, through Sept. 30. Seasonal employees are also being laid off.
Prior to this, LA Phil had already laid off all its part-time employees and cut salaries 35 percent across the board.
This is the first time the Hollywood Bowl has canceled a season in its almost century-long history, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Hollywood Bowl first opened in 1922.
"The cancellation of our summer programs and the resulting impact on our musicians and staff is devastating," LA Phil CEO Chad Smith said in a statement. "We are all broken-hearted by the effects of this crisis and share the disappointment of all those who look forward to the Bowl and Ford seasons every year. As we deal with this public health emergency, our task now, which we share with all of Los Angeles, is to go forward with strength and resilience, knowing we will get through this with one another's help. The LA Phil has been here for more than one hundred years, and the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford for almost as long. We are doing what is necessary to ensure that we are all here for the next century."
LA Phil also operates the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which has also canceled all its shows.
Last week, the famous Troubadour club in West Hollywood announced that it was struggling to remain in operation.
It remains unclear if other major concert venues, such as the Forum, Greek Theatre or the Wiltern, will be forced to follow suit.
