Cd’A Symphony receives funds, prepares for late summer concerts

The Coeur d’Alene Symphony Orchestra has been awarded a Small Business Administration Payroll Protection Program loan through Mountain West Bank.

A registered nonprofit organization, the CSO was forced to cancel half its performances this season due to COVID-19. Treasurer Irwin Hurn notified the board of the award. Because many of the payroll loans have been granted to bars and restaurants to open their doors and support their employees, he joked, “We don’t fill beers, we fill ears.” There has been no music to fill Symphony patrons' ears this spring.

The CSO has five staff members, including concert master/assistant director Phillip Baldwin and conductor/artistic director maestro Jan Pellant. Pellant lives in Coeur d’Alene with his wife, Kayla, and has been busy programing music for the coming season. Musicians are paid a small stipend per performance, but no performances have been possible as of late.

Two free symphony concerts will mark the end of summer. The Riverstone Pond concert, sponsored by the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Culture Alliance, will take place Aug. 22, and the annual Labor Day Concert in the Coeur d’Alene City Park will be Sept. 7.

CSO Board of Directors Chairman Jeff Crandall hopes that this small business loan will stabilize the Symphony’s finances until the 2020-21 performance season opening the weekend of Oct. 2 and 3 when the CSO returns to the Schuler Performing Arts Center on the North Idaho College campus.

"We’re thrilled to be in the beautifully refurbished venue with its fine acoustics," Crandall said. "We welcome NIC as our season partner."

As a not-for-profit community benefit organization, the Symphony, its staff and musicians greatly appreciate donations to fund the arts in Coeur d’Alene. The Symphony invites all to “come fill your ears!”

Season tickets for the Symphony are available online at www.cdasymphony.org or by calling the CSO office Monday through Thursday between 10 a.m. and noon.