The Asheville Symphony is “Hitting the Road” for the 2023-2024 Season!

Why is the Season Being Moved?

The Harrah’s Cherokee Center’s Thomas Wolfe Auditorium experienced an HVAC failure, and current estimates suggest that the ability to heat or cool the house of the auditorium could be offline for 9+ months.

In addition to operating at about half capacity, the audience portion of the venue will be heated and cooled primarily via an HVAC unit that heats and cools the stage, resulting in significant overheating or overcooling of the stage to keep the house regulated.

When orchestra members’ instruments become overheated or overcooled, the quality of sound is affected and instruments may sustain damage. This, coupled with the fact that we could not adequately control the experience for our patrons, led us to make the decision to move the season.

What Changes Are Being Made to the Season?

All shows previously scheduled for Thomas Wolfe Auditorium during the 2023-2024 season are being moved to alternate locations.

• Masterworks 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6 will be located in the First Baptist Church of Asheville on the same dates as originally scheduled. There will be a new matinee performance, starting on each Saturday at 2 p.m., in addition to the 8 p.m. evening performance.
• Masterworks 7 will be held at Brevard Music Center’s Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium, at 2 p.m.
• Star Wars: Celebrating a Galaxy of Music will be held at the Salvage Station’s outdoor stage.
• New Year’s Eve: She’s Got Soul will be held in the Harrah’s Cherokee Center ExploreAsheville.com Arena
• The Asheville Symphony Chorus will now perform on Masterworks 4: Classical Romance at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts. The repertoire for this show is now as follows:
  – Haydn St. Nicholas Mass
  – Hummel Trumpet Concerto
  – Mozart Symphony no. 40
• The repertoire for Masterworks 6: Golden Glamor has also had slight changes, in addition to moving the performance of the Asheville Symphony Chorus to Masterworks 4: Classical Romance. It will be as follows:
  – Mozart Overture from Le nozze di Figaro
  – Korngold Violin Concerto
  – Mahler Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
  – Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite

All ALT ASO series performances, recitals, and Symphony in the Park remain unchanged.

As we have made these changes, we have done so with the goal to retain our musicians and make as few changes to repertoire as possible. We have been able to continue to fully employ our contracted musicians, and all repertoire will remain the same across performances other than Masterworks 4 and Masterworks 6. 

How Does This Affect Current Subscribers?

All 2023-2024 season subscribers are guaranteed a seat in an equitable section to their reserved seats in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. You will also continue to hold your seats in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium for when we return during the 2024-2025 season.

We will do our best to accommodate your preference of evening or matinee performances, and we plan to be flexible with any needed changes to your subscription type, area location, and other details.

If you can no longer attend a show included in your subscription, we will work with you on a credit or refund.

We plan on reaching out to all subscribers in coming weeks to work with you on seating for this season. We are working as quickly as possible to finalize necessary logistics, and we ask for your patience as our team works hard to make this as easy a transition as possible.

We are working through a higher level of inquiries than usual, so please have patience as we reach out and return your calls and emails. We understand you will have more questions, and we will reach out personally to every subscriber as soon as possible to work with you on seating and logistics. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact our Patron Services team at tickets@ashevillesymphony.org.

The renewal deadline is June 30, 2023 to keep your seats when we are back in Thomas Wolfe Auditorium and to get a number of other great renewal benefits. We are seating FBCA in the order in which we receive subscription renewals. In addition, you will still receive Season Subscriber perks AND this is one of the best ways you can support your Asheville Symphony this year! To purchase or renew your subscription, call us at (828) 254-7046 ext.2.

How Does This Affect Subscription and Single Ticket Prices?

Subscription prices and single ticket prices and seating areas will stay the same. See below for area pricing and corresponding seating areas at First Baptist Church of Asheville. Seating areas for Brevard Music Center’s Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium will be forthcoming.

Will There Be More Changes Made to the Season?

We are working as hard as we can to minimize changes as much as possible. At this time, we do not anticipate more scheduling or location changes to occur. We encourage you to sign up for our newsletter so you always get the latest announcements. We are currently finalizing plans for Masterworks concert receptions and Symphony Talks, and we will send updates via email and post them on the website as soon as possible.