YOSA cancels upcoming shows at Tobin Center

San Antonio-This is their first solo performance since March. The San Antonio Youth Band (YOSA) is worried about COVID-19

The decision to cancel the first performance of the 2020/2021 season is not easy for the leadership. Since August, the orchestra serving more than 400 young musicians has been practicing for the upcoming winter performance.

Ian Fernandes, a violinist of the YOSA Philharmonic Orchestra, said: “It’s amazing to know that I can return to the music industry.” 

The recent cancellation marks another defeat for the Tobin Center. Since the reopening in June at the governor’s instructions, President and CEO Michael Fresher stated that scheduling and rescheduling performances remains an ongoing challenge. However, he added that his employees are operating the theater in accordance with the CDC agreement and below capacity.

"Many of our safety procedures provide hand sanitizer and masks for everyone who enters the building. Before entering the building, we will scan the temperature of everyone entering the building. We also use electrostatic cleaners before each performance Clean the building." Fresher said.

It is worth noting that the biggest change in the theater is the seating arrangement.  

"We can actually flip it under the basement across another row and make it disappear. This makes six feet between each row. When we sit people on the seats, we make sure that between each group There are two seats reserved between the number of customers, so we also have six feet of social distance." He said.

Despite various efforts, YOSA was finally cancelled due to the recent increase in local coronavirus cases. The organization issued the following statement:

In response, Forrester said that the choice of performance depends on the performance.

A YOSA spokeswoman said that the organization hopes to hold a competition at the Tobin Center by mid-2021.