Silver Lining Emerges Despite Pandemic Canceling 75th Anniversary Season Of Los Alamos Concert Association

LACA Artistic Director Ann McLaughlin in front of the Smith Auditorium Tuesday discussing how 75th anniversary plans were sadly dashed due to the pandemic and her appreciation for community support. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com

By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com

Plans for celebrating the 75th year of the Los Alamos Concert Association (LACA) were dashed with the outbreak of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.

But out of disappointment has emerged a sense of gratitude for the generous show of support from the community.

LACA Artistic Director Ann McLaughlin spoke recently with the Los Alamos Daily Post about the silver linings that have emerged during this difficult time. She mentioned that Enterprise Bank & Trust is continuing its financial support to LACA despite the fact that the entire concert season is canceled.

“Enterprise Bank & Trust has been our partner in bringing great music to this community for decades,” McLaughlin said. “This recognition and their support during the pandemic means the world to us.”

Los Alamos Enterprise President Liddie Martinez spoke about the bank’s longtime support for LACA.

“Enterprise has continued the long standing tradition of supporting world renowned artists’ performances in our small community,” Martinez said. “We have continued to support the Los Alamos Concert Series and while we will not be celebrating its 75th anniversary as planned, we are glad to assist in their support of the artist community that has brought such world class music to our doors.”

What would have been LACA’s 75th Anniversary is now the organization’s first season without concerts since 1946.

LACA based its decision to cancel the season on concern for its patrons, McLaughlin said, adding that going forward into the new year, LACA also concluded that operating with uncertainty, concert-by-concert, was not wise fiscally.

In addition to making this unprecedented decision, LACA will compensate all the artists affected by the cancellation at 33 percent of their contracted fees.

“Our decision to compensate the artists will help them at a time when concerts world-wide are being cancelled,” McLaughlin said. “Most touring musicians are freelancers, so the artists we had booked for the season have seen their incomes completely disappear.”

McLaughlin thanked the community for its generous donations and the kind notes LACA has received from people who also want to help these great musicians weather the crisis.

McLaughlin shared the gratitude she feels for LACA Board members and generous donors.

“The members of our board are, in reality, unpaid staff,” she said. “We are so lucky to have this wonderful all-volunteer workforce. Most other presenters need to worry about meeting payroll and paying rent. Our volunteers and many generous donors enable us to focus our resources on helping the artists and preparing for the time when we can all be together in the Smith Auditorium again.”

LACA will not, however, forgo all 75th Anniversary celebration plans, McLaughlin said.

“When Mesa Public Library and its gallery reopen, LACA will mount an exhibit chronicling its history, a fascinating journey which began in 1946 when Los Alamos was still a dusty army base, ” she said.

For more information, visit http://losalamosconcert.org/home.html.

In announcing cancellation of this concert season, the LACA Board issued the following message to the community:

With heavy hearts, the Board of Directors of the Los Alamos Concert Association has decided to cancel our entire 2020-21 season. This was a difficult decision because we had a particularly exciting lineup of artists planned for you in celebration of our 75th Anniversary. However, your safety in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic was more important to us.

Adding to our frustration is the knowledge that this cancellation will contribute to the devastating financial fallout for some great musicians and their agents during the pandemic. LACA is dedicated to bringing world class music to northern New Mexico and to promoting classical music into the future. In the spirit of this mission, the Board has also voted to compensate the artists affected at 33% of their contracted fees.

It may appear to some that this decision is leaping ahead of developments in the Covid-19 pandemic. It seemed increasingly likely that the two fall concerts we had planned would not occur.  Further, we could not envision a viable way to manage the rest of the season on a concert-by-concert basis as the CDC and Governor Lujan Grisham issue guidelines for public gatherings.

Months of preparation and significant expense are required far in advance of each concert. Having to cancel on short notice would mean months of futile effort on the part of our volunteer workforce and money wasted on things like marketing and program production. This, coupled with our concern for your well-being, made this decision unavoidable.  

Even though we are not going to present concerts this season, LACA will still be very much present in this great community. When Mesa Public Library and its upstairs gallery open, we will be installing an exhibit chronicling how LACA, founded in 1946, grew up with Los Alamos. This visual celebration of our 75th Anniversary will take you on a wonderful journey that has brought so many great artists to Los Alamos. Watch for the opening announcement!

Finally, be assured that we are making plans now for Season 2021-22. In fact, we are working to reengage all the artists whose performances we cancelled. If you would like to join in helping the artists during this difficult time, we would be most grateful. 

Los Alamos Concert Association Board 2019-2020

Deniece Korzekwa | President
Dan Winske | 1st Vice Pres.
Steve Turpin | 2nd Vice Pres.
Janet Harry | Secretary
Lise Chrien | Treasurer
Kyung Burton
Nancy Cerutti (associate)
Diane Chan
Bob Chrien
Lise Chrien
Hal Davis (associate)
Chris Del Signore
Madhavi Gaimella
Rao Garimella
Bill Godwin
Lynn Godwin
Rebecca Howard
Heather Jones (associate)
Jim Knudson
Peter LaDelfe
Winnifred Lamartine
Pierre-Yves LeBas
Carolyn Mangeng
Rose Martin (associate
Vernon Smith
Jim Tencate (associate)
Cheryl Wampler
Bob Williams (associate)
Dan Winske

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