Later Date For Valleyfest Causes Cold-Sensitive Symphony To Split

After eight years together, the Spokane Symphony will split from Valleyfest and hold its own stand-alone performance this year.

Valleyfest, symphony officials said, is just too cool.

Literally.

For years, the symphony has used propane space heaters to warm the air around musicians during the Spokane Valley’s annual end-of summer festival. Cold air can damage, and even split, the expensive old violins and woodwinds, said Jonathan Martin, the symphony’s executive director.

Although the musicians have never canceled a performance, they have a clause in their contract allowing them to do so if on-stage temperatures drop below 65 degrees, Martin said.

“We’ve always been on the edge of it being too cold for the orchestra to play (at Valleyfest),” he said.

When symphony officials learned that this year’s festival had been moved to the first Saturday of fall - Sept. 26 - they decided not to risk it.

They’ve scheduled a stand-alone concert for Sept. 12 in Terrace View Park. It will be very similar to the symphony’s previous Valleyfest performances, and will include a combination of classical and popular music, Martin said. The 3 p.m. event will be free.

Valleyfest is happening a week later this year because the Spokane Interstate Fair is starting later. Both were affected by this year’s late Labor Day holiday. Valleyfest officials must schedule around the fair because they use fairgrounds chairs, tables and staging equipment for the event.

Peggy Doering, Valleyfest’s organizer, called the loss of the symphony performance disappointing, but said she didn’t think attendance would suffer greatly.

Many of the 5,000 people who attended last year’s Valleyfest symphony performance attended only the concert, Martin said.

This year, music at Valleyfest will be provided by the local ‘50s and ‘60s rock group, Men in the Making.

Both Valleyfest and symphony officials said they hope to see the two events combined again in the future.

“It makes sense to have the two together if you can,” Martin said. “These events are a perfect way, in a casual setting, for people to find out what an orchestra is all about.”