More than 60 Phoenix Symphony musicians are facing imminent layoffs as the historic institution prepares to suspend its operations following a scheduled performance. In response to the sweeping cutbacks, orchestra members have launched a public awareness initiative called the “Face the Music” campaign to highlight their personal stories and the sudden loss of their careers and benefits.
The campaign features all 66 affected musicians, including associate principal cellist Bridget Pasker, whose musical roots run deep. Pasker, who began playing at age four and grew up with a retired violinist mother, expressed the profound personal and economic toll of the shutdown. Beyond losing her primary source of livelihood, Pasker noted the immediate jeopardy facing her health care coverage. “I’m losing my job, losing health care. This is my main source of income, just like anyone else’s job. It’s true of everyone, all 66 musicians that are being laid off on Monday,” she said.
Management and the symphony’s board point to persistent operating deficits and compounding financial obligations as the primary drivers behind the decision, stating that increased ticket sales, philanthropic gifts, and incoming contributions fell short of what was required to sustain the full season. Administrators plan to use the operational pause to tackle outstanding financial liabilities, reevaluate revenue models, and determine the necessary steps to eventually resume performances.
Complicating the institution’s financial recovery is a legal challenge involving a substantial estate gift. According to Maricopa County court records, attorneys representing the Glenn and May Tansley Revocable Trust filed a motion asking a judge to vacate an earlier court order that granted the symphony $6.5 million. Trust attorneys allege that the organization failed to disclose its precarious financial condition and impending suspension before the order was finalized, despite allegedly having prior knowledge of those developments.
In response, the Phoenix Symphony issued a statement expressing profound gratitude to the Tansley family while pushing back against the trustee’s characterizations. The organization clarified that neither the symphony nor the Phoenix Symphony Support Foundation—the separate entity overseeing its endowment—has received any funds from the gift. The symphony maintained that its request to route the funds to the support foundation adhered to its gift acceptance policy and court requirements designed to protect the principal in a memorial fund. Furthermore, leadership emphasized that suspending the upcoming season does not mean the organization has permanently ceased operations.
As the musicians navigate the sudden disruption, Pasker noted that their union contract is set to expire, making a new agreement a prerequisite for any eventual return to the stage. While board and management have signaled a willingness to enter negotiations, Pasker praised the solidarity among her colleagues during a turbulent period. “Everything that everyone has done this past, like, 10 days is just incredible. The amount that we’ve been able to accomplish and support each other and get things organized and make sure that everyone’s going to be taken care of is really quite astonishing,” she said. Symphony leadership maintains that its ultimate responsibility is to confront its financial hurdles transparently, safeguard donor intent, and preserve a future for an orchestra that has served the Phoenix community for nearly 80 years.
