Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap
Wolf Trap's Filene Center
Wolf Trap has announced some of its 2018 summer concert schedule.
Wolf Trap has cancelled its entire 2020 summer concert season, the venue announced Friday.
John Legend, Steely Dan, John Prine and Emmylou Harris, Steve Martin and Martin Short were just a sampling of the stars slated to grace the stage at Wolf Trap's iconic outdoor Filene Center this summer.
But just as many other traditions of summer such as camps and neighborhood pools are falling by the wayside due to the coronavirus pandemic, the entire summer season is cancelled, Wolf Trap Foundation announced.
"It is with profound sadness that I announce that we are cancelling the Summer 2020 concert season," said Arvind Manocha, president and CEO of Wolf Trap Foundation, in a statement.
"For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Filene Center and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods at Wolf Trap National Park and The Barns at Wolf Trap will not host live performances from May through September," he said.
"The continued health and wellbeing of the Wolf Trap community of patrons, artists, and staff are of paramount importance to us," he noted. "Concern for the welfare of all makes summer gatherings for performances unfeasible.”
Wolf Trap leadership worked with local government and health officials, industry peers, artists and their management teams, and its partners at the National Park Service to make the final decision, the Foundation said.
Live concerts at the only national park dedicated to the performing arts has been a summer tradition for thousands in the DC metro area for nearly 50 years, said George Liffert, superintendent of the park, in a news release. "I am greatly disappointed the 2020 summer season has been impacted by the pandemic."
The Foundation will be developing and distributing new online content this summer from the Barns and the National Park, bringing music from its locations to audiences and reminding all of the grandeur of its performance spaces.
Wolf Trap Opera’s 2020 residency program has been refashioned to continue to provide training and digital performance opportunities for emerging talent in the field. Wolf Trap’s Education programs also continue to be a resource for teachers, parents, caregivers and children in the D.C. metro area by providing a variety of services through digital and virtual platforms.
Wolf Trap Foundation sustains this work with charitable support from the community. To help mitigate the financial impact of the season cancellation, the Foundation has launched its new Music Moves Us Fund. Completely percent tax-deductible donations that will support groundbreaking education and community initiatives, promote next-generation artists and sustain Wolf Trap Foundation’s operations to ensure a future of music for all.
Regarding tickets, 2020 summer season ticket holders have multiple options to consider:
- Donate all or a portion of the total value of your tickets to Wolf Trap Foundation’s Music Moves Us Fund as a tax-deductible contribution, or
- Exchange tickets for a Wolf Trap gift card, to be used for future ticket, or concessions purchases or
- Request a full refund.
While the current summer season is on hold, the Foundation is looking forward to resuming concert activity at the Barns at Wolf Trap later in the year, and is busy planning the 50th anniversary season at the Filene Center in 2021.
