Central Basin Community Concert Association cancels 2020-21 season

MOSES LAKE — The Central Basin Community Concert Association has announced the cancellation of its 2020-21 season.

Concert association president Mary Anderson said the cancellation decision followed a survey of the membership and a review of association finances.

“It’s a tough one. But we’re going forward,” Anderson said.

The COVID-19 outbreak canceled the last concert of the 2019-20 season, which was also supposed to be the start of the association’s annual membership drive, Anderson said. The concert association had printed all of its promotional material for the 2020-21 season and paid the concert fee.

Originally, the concert was postponed, but it couldn’t be rescheduled and eventually was canceled. With that cancellation, the concert association couldn’t recoup any of its expenses or conduct its usual membership drive, Anderson said.

A survey of concert association members revealed many were concerned about attending a live event while the coronavirus was still active.

Concerts are presented in the Wallenstien Theater on the Big Bend Community College campus. Classes at BBCC have been moved online during the outbreak and most campus buildings are closed. That includes the theater, and BBCC officials don’t know when it will be available for use, Anderson said.

Moses Lake doesn’t really have a suitable alternate venue, she said.

The concert association’s board of directors considered postponing the fall 2020 concerts, and presenting four concerts from January to July 2021. Board members also discussed presenting concerts online via livestream. But the concert association doesn’t have access to the technology required, and a concert requires a concert venue, which wasn’t guaranteed, Anderson said.

With the uncertainty over the availability of the concert hall and people hesitating about attending a concert if it was presented, board members decided to cancel the season, Anderson said.

Season ticket holders can choose to have their payment applied to the 2021-22 season, she said.

The CBCCA started in 1956 as a subscription series, and it still is. Tickets also are sold for individual concerts.