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Dallas Symphony Orchestra to begin welcoming audiences to the Meyerson in September

DSO starts its new fall season with a concert showcasing brass, organ, and percussion.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Facebook

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is planning to welcome patrons back to the Meyerson Symphony Center for live concerts as soon as September 4, with a revised lineup in place for the rest of 2020.

The carefully curated programming, titled "Next Stage" by incoming DSO music director Fabio Luisi, places an emphasis on small orchestra and chamber ensembles, and caps audiences at 50-75 people per concert.

"There is no substitute for performances on our stage at the Meyerson with an audience," says DSO president and CEO Kim Noltemy in a release. "We look forward to safely welcoming small audiences back this fall, and though attending concerts will be different than in previous seasons, our musicians will continue to inspire you."

DSO musicians will volunteer for the concerts and receive COVID-19 testing prior to playing. Strict distancing will be enforced in backstage areas, and additional cleaning will be part of musician common areas. For the audience side, there will be no intermissions or valet parking, arrival and departure times will be staggered, patrons will be asked to wear masks, and voluntary temperature checks will be conducted before entering the venue.

"We tested these protocols in June, and I felt safe and confident playing with my colleagues," says principal second violin Angela Fuller Heyde. "We are so grateful that our health and safety are being taken so seriously and that every possible precaution is being taken. I can't wait to be back on stage at the Meyerson!"

Heyde is referencing the more than 40 outdoor chamber music concerts and four programs recorded in the Meyerson that the DSO organized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking of recordings, a new robotic camera system and video studio is being installed at the Meyerson to capture concerts for on-demand viewing or live streaming. Subscribers will have access to this collection of performances free of charge, while non-subscribers will be able to view for a fee.

Throughout the fall programming, the orchestra will feature works by Black composers including Adolphus Hailstork, Scott Joplin, Quinn Mason, Jessie Montgomery, Jelly Roll Morton, and George Walker. This is a first step in diversifying the selection of works being performed and providing opportunities for composers of color.

"We have much work to do in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusion," says Noltemy, "but it is a priority for the DSO, and very soon we will share our comprehensive plan to ensure that the DSO takes a leadership role in this important work."

One major step is the concert previously announced for November 11 that will honor lives lost to racial violence and injustice. Done in partnership with Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Project Unity, and featuring baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. and musicians from the Young Strings Program, the program will include a newly commissioned work by Dallas-based Quinn Mason.

The full fall lineup is as follows:

September 4-6, 2020
Brass, Organ & Percussion of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Sarah Hicks conducts
Bradley Hunter Welch, organ

September 10-13, 2020
Bronfman Plays Beethoven
Fabio Luisi conducts
Yefim Bronfman, piano

September 18-20, 2020
Ragtime & Jazz
Jeff Tyzik conducts
Byron Stripling, trumpet

September 24-27, 2020
Texas Instruments Classical Series
Gemma New conducts
Emily Levin, harp

October 1-4, 2020
Bold and New: Beethoven, Dessner and Kodály
Juraj Valcuha conducts
Jörgen Van Rijen, trombone

October 9-11, 2020
Mahler's Song of the Earth
Fabio Luisi conducts
Tamara Mumford, mezzo-soprano
Stuart Skelton, tenor

October 16-18, 2020
Kelli O'Hara In Concert with the DSO
Rob Fisher conducts
Kelli O’Hara, vocalist

October 22-25, 2020
Abduraimov Plays Beethoven
Jukka-Pekka Saraste conducts
Behzod Abduraimov, piano

October 29-November 1, 2020
Verdi Selections with Fabio
Fabio Luisi conducts
Krassimira Stoyanova, soprano
Jamie Barton, mezzo-soprano
Piero Pretti, tenor
Wenwei Zhang, bass

October 31, 2020
Dia De Los Muertos Concert
Katharina Wincor conducts

November 5- 8, 2020
Female Pioneers: Alsop and Hahn
Marin Alsop conducts
Hilary Hahn, violin

November 11, 2020
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Project Unity Present: Concert to Honor Lives Lost to Racial Violence and Injustice
Reginald Smith, Jr., baritone
Further vocal soloists to be confirmed
Dancers from Dallas Black Dance Theatre
Musicians of the DSO Young Strings Program

November 12, 2020
Erich Bergen's Hollywood Songbook
Jeff Tyzik conducts
Erich Bergen, vocalist

November 13-15, 2020
Queens of Soul
Jeff Tyzik conducts
Shayna Steele, vocalist

November 27- 29, 2020
The Nutcracker
Andrew Grams conducts

Some originally scheduled Pops Series and movie programming has been moved to later dates.

Toy Story Live in Concert has moved to September 2021, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has moved to November 2021. The Music of Selena has now been rescheduled to June 2021, and Lush Life: The Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn has been postponed to March 2021.

"My husband and I have been sheltering at home, and I had no intention of going further than daily walks," says Cece Smith, Dallas Symphony Association Board of Governors incoming chair. "Then I heard the comments from the musicians and other audience members about how safe they felt in the hall during the concerts performed in June, and we were convinced. It was so well done, and the live music was such a welcome treat, that we went to two more concerts! It is probably the safest place in Dallas."

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Elon News

Dallas bookstore and publisher gets federal arts funding axed

Deep Vellum

Stack of books at Deep Vellum

A Dallas arts organization got its budget chopped by the federal government: Deep Vellum, the bookstore and publisher at 3000 Commerce St., lost a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant due to federal government budget cuts.

According to owner Will Evans, the award, which is granted annually, has been terminated as of May 31. The bookstore had received $20,000 for the past six years.

Deep Ellum started as a publisher in 2013 and opened their bookstore in Deep Ellum in 2015. Since then, they have become a center for literature lovers. Evans is a translator whose mission has been to translate the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.

Evans was notified on May 2 via an email that was reportedly sent to grant recipients nationwide. The note read:

"The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

The new priorities included projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.

The Grants and Public Affairs departments at NEA did not respond to a request for comment. On Monday May 5, the Literary Staff was laid off, and the agency is facing possible elimination entirely, as part of the 2026 Discretionary Budget Request presented to Congress on May 2.

This year's grant to Deep Vellum was earmarked to fund the translation, publishing, and marketing costs of four books:

Carapace Dancer by Natalia Toledo, translated from Zapotec, published trilingually with Spanish and English translations alongside the original, translated by Clare Sullivan
Juvenilia by Hera Lindsay Bird of New Zealand, making her US debut, illustrated by Dallas artist Gino Dal Cin
Schattenfroh by Michael Lentz, translated from the German by Max Lawton, a 1001-page masterpiece and English-language debut
The Ruins by Ye Hui, translated from Chinese by Dong Li, the English-language debut from one of China's most distinguished and independent poets

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1965 as a funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide anxd a catalyst of public and private support for the arts with the goal of advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, according to their website.

In their last stats document updated in November 2024, their FY’24 budget was outlined as $207M (representing 0.03 percent of the total federal budget), with 80 percent of their budget supporting grants and awards to organizations and individuals across the country. They typically offer over 2,000 grants each year.

"It’s been a strange few days for us, and for countless other nonprofit publishers, magazines, and arts organizations," Evans said.

Despite the cut, Deep Vellum plans to continue to promote literacy through unique books translated to the English language.

“This is not going to imperil our future but it’s something we need to consider as we move forward. These books are extraordinary, and they add so much for readers and culture. We just need to find additional revenue to fund them," Evans said.

Evans was first to reveal the funding cut but a number of organizations across Dallas and Texas have seen similar cuts including Ballet North Texas, Flamenco Fever, Dallas Theater Center, and Bishop Arts Theatre Center, as well as a number of groups in Austin.

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