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Greetings Guitar Enthusiasts,I hope this message finds you all healthy and safe and enjoying the signs that spring has arrived.
The month of March marked a strange anniversary for the ISCG. It was just a little over a year ago that we hosted our last live event, an outstanding concert featuring the virtuoso Celil Refik Kaya. Then, just days later things began to change very quickly as schools, businesses, and venues had to shut down due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Since it has been so long, we wanted to take a moment to reach out to our friends and supporters to give a bit of an update as to where things currently stand. As you know, we were forced to make the difficult decision to cancel our 2020-2021 season. This is not unique to the ISCG of course. The performing arts have been one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic. Full time symphonies, opera companies, theater, and dance companies across the country have been forced to cancel entire seasons. Many, including the ISCG, have attempted to still provide some virtual programming. But, the truth is, the real heart of our art form is live music shared with people face-to-face. Virtual programming can play a role in sharing music, but it is no substitute for a live performance experience. Typically, at this time of year we would be very busy finalizing contracts for the next season. And while there has been some good news recently with the increased rate of vaccination and projections that venues may be able to open in the fall, the truth is that we still have no concrete guarantees. In our case specifically, while IU has stated its intention to reopen campuses completely in the fall we still have not received a response as to what type of restrictions will be in place in terms of numbers. We have also been told that campus could still be closed again if there is another surge when the flu season resumes in the fall. Most of our performers are international or national touring artists. They typically book months or even years in advance. They plan their travel schedules around these bookings. Right now, we simply are not in a position in which we can guarantee a date that far in advance. And generating a budget for the year is rather complicated when we do not know how many seats we will be able to use. As a result, we find ourselves still in something of a “wait and see” position. We want to assure our supporters that the ISCG is not giving up on some sort of a 2021-2022 season. But, we may find that it continues to look very different than what we are used to. We may have to alter some of our programming for the time being to accommodate the world in which we are operating. Some possible changes may include:
As someone who has spent the last 20 years trying to make a living with the guitar, I can assure you that I have no common sense. And so, we will continue to try to make this thing work. The ISCG has no plans to go away. We will continue to look for ways to support classical guitar and classical guitarists. And, when the time is right, we will resume bringing some of the best classical guitarists from around the world back to our venue. And we look forward to the chance to continue to do our part to make Indianapolis a world class city for classical guitar music. Most importantly, we look forward to sitting in a room together again, with all of you, enjoying the sound of live guitar music. Sincerely, John Alvarado, President Indianapolis Society of the Classical Guitar ISCG OFFICERS:
President: John Alvarado Vice President: Brett Terrell Treasurer: John Cazares Secretary: Tom Fowler The ISCG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization. Your tax-deductible donation will be greatly beneficial in promoting and sustaining our efforts. Please visit the ISCG store to make a donation. |
Upcoming ISCG Events:
TBA Guido Sanchez Portuguez Performance Watch Party This event has ended, but you can still watch the archived video here: |
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