Kimmel Center Issues Statement on POA Bankruptcy Vote

Anne C. Ewers, President and CEO of the Kimmel Center, issued the following statement on the vote today by the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association.

"This is a difficult day for all of us in the Philadelphia arts community. And it is an understandably anxious moment for the employees and performers whose dedication and talent make the Orchestra so extraordinary. But it is our hope, and our confident belief, that today's action will prove to be, not an epilogue, but the beginning of the long-term recovery of one of the nation's great Orchestras. We know the able leadership of the Orchestra is focused solely upon the best interests of the Orchestra and its patrons in making this difficult judgment.

"While the financial-management options made available through bankruptcy now can be explored, we know that a sustainable solution will require sacrifice and enhanced support from the entire Orchestra community of family and friends- and the Kimmel Center proudly counts itself among them. Indeed, we currently subsidize our Resident Companies and we have already accepted substantial reductions in the Orchestra's rent obligations to the Kimmel Center this fiscal year. Moreover, we have communicated to the Orchestra Board that we stand ready to discuss their request for further accommodations.

"Extending such accommodations would present challenges for us. The Kimmel Center has already experienced the stress, difficulty, and hard choices of achieving its own financial stability and we appreciate what the Orchestra has confronting it. The Kimmel Center is willing to discuss further hard choices, to be part of a sustainable and comprehensive long-term solution for the Orchestra.

"Our civic mission is reflected in the breadth of our programming, and we are proud to be the preeminent gateway to the performing arts for the greater Philadelphia community. But we regard the Orchestra and its patrons to be an essential component of that diverse community. Indeed, we are the Orchestra's patrons too. And we stand ready to be a positive partner in the Orchestra's resolute march to return to sustainability.

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