Houston Symphony Cancels This Weekend In-Person Concerts Due To Texas Weather Emergency

The Houston Symphony has made the decision to cancel this weekend's in-person concerts on Feb. 19 & 20, at 8 p.m. and the Saturday livestream of Schubert's Death and the Maiden due to the ongoing emergency situation caused by the winter storm in Houston.

"While a couple days ago it looked like the Symphony could possibly perform, it is now clear that is not the case," explained Executive Director, CEO, and holder of the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair John Mangum. "We've made the tough call to cancel this weekend's program given the challenging weather conditions felt throughout the city caused by ongoing winter storm. It has been an extremely difficult time for many Houstonians, but the city has proved to be resilient during tough situations, and we remain hopeful this will be no different. We are thinking of all Texans who are experiencing hardships caused by the winter storm and look forward to warmer days ahead."

The Houston Symphony is a key contributor to Houston's nonprofit arts and cultural community, which is a vital part of Houston's economy. The unexpected loss of event-dependent revenue and related decline in charitable contributions is still being felt in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey just three years ago, and the ongoing health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Houston Symphony is currently reaching out to ticket-holders for the canceled concert via email, phone, web, and social media to ask that they:

• donate the cost of the tickets to the Symphony. The Symphony will provide a donation form for the ticket value for tax purposes.

• exchange their ticket(s) for another scheduled performance in 2021 or for a voucher for the value of their purchase, allowing the ticket-holder more time to decide on another performance later on, or

• The Symphony's Patron Services Center is available by phone to answer any questions or help with exchanges at 713.224.7575 during operating hours: Monday-Saturday, 12 noon-6 p.m.