Hudson Valley Philharmonic musicians want to perform again

The Musicians of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic would like to be performing for the community again. However, the future of the HVP is uncertain. We would like the management and Board of Directors of the Bardavon to follow through with their offer over 18 months ago fora separation and a transfer of the assets associated with the HVP program. These assets are intended for the operation and continuation of the orchestra. We wish to use the assets to serve the community in continuing the mission of the HVP.

How we arrived at this point

On March 18, 2022, prior to contract negotiations, the Bardavon management said that they would transfer the endowments, assets related to the program, and the HVP name to the orchestra members if we would separate from the Bardavon and form our own organization. At that time, the orchestra members still hoped instead to come to an agreeable contract. However, after a year of negotiating, the final contract offer from the Bardavon would have provided only three concerts per year for the next three years, no artistic leadership, and no auditions to fill empty positions within the orchestra. Due to these reductions, the HVP members overwhelmingly rejected this offer.

“We would like to prioritize the growth of our programming, educational and community outreach, artistic professionalism, and the continuation of the internationally recognized HVP String Competition. The last contract offer presented by the management to the musicians unfortunately did not reflect a desire or plan which would support these priorities,” said Rachel Crozier, HVP violinist and co-chair of the Orchestra Committee.

We now believe the best path is to move forward with the transfer offered in March of 2022. We made a proposal several months ago for a separation and transfer of the assets in good faith, pursuant to an arrangement which would involve affiliating with another existing nonprofit organization under a fiscal sponsorship arrangement. Bardavon’s response is not what we hoped. We encourage our audience and supporters to contact the Bardavon management and Board of Directors to encourage them to do the right thing for the HVP.

What we would like to offer our community

We are preparing to move forward with the HVP’s mission. We are working on potential plans for a future, separate from the Bardavon. Before the Bardavon began managing the HVP, we performed many more concerts each season, including multiple classics performances, a pops series, young people’s concerts, and small ensemble performances in schools all over the region. Since 2000, all this activity has gradually been reduced. Our goal is to rebuild the orchestra’s programming with a special focus on resuming the educational concerts and outreach to the community. Presenting the winners of the prestigious HVP String Competition will continue to be an integral part of our mission. We wish to grow and build new connections in the Hudson Valley communities.

We would like to be able to move forward. We are asking the Bardavon Board of Directors and management to provide a reasonable response to our proposal for a fair separation and transfer of the HVP’s assets. We want to get back to doing what we love and continue serving the community.

Submitted on behalf of the Musicians of the HVP

Frances Duffy

Rachel Crozier

Carole Cowan

Emily Garrison

Jill Sokol