MARLBORO — The trustees of Marlboro Music have canceled the festival's 2020 season due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to a news release, the trustees said “this decision was made to protect the health and safety of our musical community, our audiences, and our southern Vermont neighbors.”
Trustees said this decision “was especially difficult because this was to be our 70th anniversary season. Every summer since 1951, we have formed an extended family of musicians, staff, spouses, and children from around the world.
“Yet, the functioning of our community, including its intensive focus on chamber music, is antithetical to social distancing. Our artists rehearse, perform, socialize, eat, work, live, and play together. The younger players live in residence halls and all members of the summer community share a common dining hall.
“It is this very closeness, in fact, that enables our members to work so well together, to gain vital artistic insights and life lessons, and to form lasting musical bonds and friendships.”
Season ticket holders for 2020 may receive a full refund, or convert their tickets into donations to the festival's Artists' Assistance Fund, Building the Future Campaign, or Annual Fund Drive by contacting boxoffice@marlboromusic.org.
Throughout the summer, Marlboro Music will continue - by virtual and other means - to enable audiences to connect with Marlboro and its music-making.
Still on the schedule is the 2020-21 Musicians from Marlboro tour, which offer five concerts in Greenwich, Conn., New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Cambridge, Mass., in February.
The 2021 season is scheduled for July 17-Aug. 15, 2021.
Marlboro Music will also share videos and recordings of past performances, artist interviews, photographs, and - in print and online - a special 70th anniversary publication: A Cause That Transcends Time: Discovery and Renewal at Marlboro.