Edwin Cabaniss of The Kessler Theater says, 'The live music industry is in intensive care.'
The past six months have unfolded as a bitter survival test for any venue that presents live music.
From cathedrals to clubs and cabarets to concert halls, the coronavirus pandemic has silenced live vocal and instrumental music.
Not only are there concerns of audiences as “super spreader events,” the reality is that most music is powered by the same human respiratory systems that transfer COVID-19.
The loss in a human, sociable and cultural experience is only surpassed by the economic impact on for-profit and non-profit presenters of music.
The Dallas Morning News quotes Edwin Cabaniss, owner of Dallas' popular Kessler Theater:
What has happened, even to the Kessler, "is going from full-on to full shutdown. We have seen a 95% drop in revenue since March 14. You can cut your expenses all you want, but when you have no revenue, it makes it extraordinarily difficult."
So, what does this mean to the future of the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the Bomb Factory, Gas Monkey Live, Sandaga 813 Jazz & Blues Club, Café Madrid, and dozens of other Dallas venues, clubs, bars, and restaurants?
What is being done to improve the prospects of live music in Dallas … and what can we do to help?
Find out when you join us in a discussion tomorrow, Tuesday, Sep. 22, 5:30-6:30 p.m., as 24HourDallas presents a free Zoominar, "Is Live Music Dead?"
Our Panelists
Kate Durio — Senior US Project Lead, Sound Diplomacy
Sound Diplomacy is a London-based consortium of researchers, data analysts, economists, and strategic consultants. The group brings its expertise to cities around the world to help develop and strengthen the local music industry, music economics, cultural planning, and placemaking.
Kim Noltemy — President & CEO, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
With origins that trace back a group of 40 musicians in 1900, today The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is the largest performing arts organization in the Southwest United States. The Symphony's home is the I.M. Pei-design Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, ranked one of the world's greatest orchestra halls.
Edwin Cabaniss — Founder and owner of The Kessler Theater and Kessler Presents; Co-Founder and Chairman, Music Venue Alliance - Texas
When it opened in 1942, The Kessler Theater Dallas' most popular movie theater. After closing in the 1950s, however, the building sat vacant until Edwin Cabaniss restored and reopened it as a performance venue in March 2010.
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