Yucatan Symphony Orchestra cancels two concerts in Merida

The Yucatán Symphony Orchestra (OSY) announced on Friday, March 10, the cancellation of two of its concerts at the Palacio de la Música, located in the Historic Center.

The announcement was made by the OSY through its social networks. The cancelled concerts were on Friday, March 10 and next Sunday, March 12.

In the announcement made, it was informed that the schedules and dates for the reimbursement of those who purchased tickets for those dates would be announced shortly.

Why did the OSY cancel the concerts?

The Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán began to perform at the Palacio de la Música following the fire at the José Peón Contreras theater in early November 2022. After the incident, some of the conditions and alleged lack of maintenance of the OSY venue became known.

In addition to the problem it faced regarding the location, it became known that the Yucatán Symphony Orchestra did not have an assigned budget to ensure the continuity of its operation.

In other media outlets it was reported that the OSY would only have a budget to operate until June 2023 due to the fact that, as reported, the State Executive assigned resources equivalent to only 47% of the budget required by the orchestra to operate.

The complicated situation faced by the OSY is due to the government’s failure to comply with the decree issued by the same Executive Branch in 2008, which obliges it to cover the payment of the group’s payroll and grant it a budget no less than that of the preceding year. Since 2019 this has not been respected, as it has been significantly reduced in each period.

The reason for the most recent cancellation of their concerts has not been made public, however, it is expected to be due to the restoration work on the façade of the Palacio de la Música, which was covered with graffiti after the March 8 march in Mérida.

Is Juan Carlos Lomónaco leaving the OSY?

Minutes after the announcement of the cancellation of the OSY concerts for the weekend, it was announced in a press release that José Areán would be the new interim artistic director of the OSY, however, nothing was mentioned about Lomónaco.

TYT Newsroom