In May 2022, we reported on how
the future of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic orchestra, which was founded in
1932, has
been under threat due to a combination of the passing of its conductor Randall
Craig Fleischer, the decline in audience attendance during the pandemic
closures, the loss of key donors, and contract disagreements between the orchestra
and the board of directors of its host venue, the Bardavon 1869 Opera House in Poughkeepsie.
The orchestra organization recently announced the creation of an online
petition to compel the board to commit “to follow through with their offer over
18 months ago for a separation and a transfer of the assets associated with the
HVP program…We wish to use the assets to serve the community in continuing the
mission of the HVP.”
Based at the historic Bardavon since
1982, the HVP had been performing many concerts each season before the Bardavon
took over management of the orchestra in 2000. Since then, the number of concerts
each year has been greatly reduced; currently the HVP is only cleared to
perform three concerts per season. The HVP organization is presently seeking a
separation from the Bardavon organization with the aim of affiliating with another
nonprofit organization so as to be able to present more concerts and events.
“We would like to be able to move forward,” says the orchestra’s website. “We
are asking the Bardavon Board of Directors and Management to provide a
reasonable response to our proposal for a fair separation and transfer of the
HVP’s assets. We want to get back to doing what we love and continue serving
the community.”
This article appears in November 2023.
