May 2, 2011 – California Philharmonic (Cal Phil) supporters demonstrated outside Arcadia’s Arboretum Sunday morning after learning that the county is ending the Philharmonic’s 15 year run of summer concerts at this venue. The news came as a shock when Cal Phil’s Maestro Victor Vener was informed of the decision just 15 minutes prior to the release of the news to the media.
While it does not affect the Cal Phil’s concerts already scheduled for this summer, the Arboretum Foundation and the Department of Parks and Recreation is planning to host the Pasadena Symphony from next year on. “This is an unfortunate situation not only for my beloved orchestra but for the thousands of loyal patrons that have been part of our extended family for more than 15 years, as well as over 700 community volunteers and more than 300 orchestra musicians and choir members,” said Vener. “We are a strong organization and we are not going to stand for this. Numerous Cal Phil board members along with myself created the Arboretum as a music venue from scratch. This decision raises countless questions. And we demand answers.”
“This is outrageous,” added Cal Phil Board Member Robert Miller. “This is the second time that the Pasadena Symphony has uprooted another symphony from their home and is responsible for the loss of hundreds of jobs. The Pasadena Symphony completely wiped out an entire orchestra by assimilating the Pasadena Pops and firing all of their musicians when they were still producing concerts at Descanso Gardens. Victor Vener was also the Maestro and creator of outdoor concerts at that venue. It’s appalling that the Pasadena Symphony now wants to move to Arcadia and uproot the city’s respected and loved orchestra. The people of Arcadia want their orchestra which has always been and will always be Cal Phil.”
The peaceful demonstration outside Arboretum preceded a news conference in which Maestro Vener expressed his disappointment and promised a proactive plan forward to fight the county’s decision.
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