Spokane Symphony Receives Government Grant For Shuttered Venue Operators

Resurrection Bay is where Jeff took a vacation from the hall when he received news that his Spokane Symphony Society had finally received the state Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. It couldn’t have been more fitting as the Spokane Symphony is rising.

The check for $ 899,151.77 along with $ 700,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program brings the Symphony to a total of $ 1.6 million. “The scholarship lifted a cloud over us,” said the room while calling from Anchorage.

Von Saal, the managing director of Spokane Symphony, can hire staff. “We have to do this urgently and now we can go ahead with the funds we have been given and fill in the gaps.” The symphony tries to fill a number of positions, such as development manager, treasury manager and orchestral librarian.

“We have the key positions that we have to take care of and we have to hire an event crew,” said vom Saal. “Before the pandemic, we had around 300 people working for us. We’ll come back and turn the corner here. We’re lucky because the timing is right. “

From the hall is literally as the symphony’s fiscal year begins every July 1st and the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant landed on Monday. “Tomorrow (July 1st) the work begins for us,” said Vom Saal. “All of this is great for us, and it’s great for the Spokane community. This will help us prepare for the performances. “

Vom Saal and Co. are preparing for three summer concerts at the Arbor Crest Wine Cellars on July 28th, Brick West Brewing Co. on August 11th and Beacon Hill Catering & Events on August 25th. The three concerts all take place on Wednesdays and begin at 7 p.m.

“We are very excited about the future for many reasons,” said von Saal. “First of all, after everything we’ve been through, we should feel good about where we are now. It’s incredible to have made it through such an unprecedented time. Neither of us took a course in college to understand how to deal with this (pandemic).

“The other thing is that we have a sense of hope for the future. We strive to open the doors and work hard. It is great. We are all excited and have so much hope for what tomorrow will bring. “