Fort Myers orchestra to shutter, reasons for demise in dispute

The Southwest Florida Symphony in Fort Myers, one of the oldest symphony orchestras in Florida, is closing down after operating for nearly 65 years. 

The symphony, according to a statement from its board, will continue operations through the end of the fiscal year June 30. The reasons behind the shuttering of the symphony, founded in 1961 as a community orchestra consisting of 24 volunteer musicians, when it was called the Fort Myers Symphony, are in dispute: The nonprofit's board cites, among other factors, repeated annual operating deficits and a declining interest in classical music. Officials with the union that represent the musicians, meanwhile, cite “failed leadership” that chose “to shrink rather than innovate" as the reasons for the closure. 

The symphony, according to its public tax filings filed for 2023, had $2.99 million in assets and $1.84 million in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, and posted a loss of about $12,000. In the prior year it had $1.28 million in revenue and a profit of $148,637, the filings show. The symphony generated $417,302 in ticket sales during the fiscal year, the tax documents state, and $861,026 in its budget came from gifts and grants. Another $145,788 came from government grants. The government funding, according to a story on industry website ViolinChannel.com on the closing, is an annual grant that was cut by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office. Symphony officials cite the loss of state funding as well in its statement about the closure.

“The unfortunate fact is that classical music is struggling to thrive across the country,” the symphony says in its statement. “There are very few suitable, cost-effective venues in Lee and Charlotte counties and the costs of performances have grown to be very expensive. There is also an abundance of live entertainment options competing for the community’s attention. As a nonprofit that relies heavily on donors and sponsors, with ticket sales covering a fraction of the orchestra’s budget, this reality has resulted in annual operating deficits.”

“Despite financial prudence and tireless efforts to persevere, repeated annual deficits that the Symphony experiences due to operational restrictions, increased performance costs and loss of state funding are no longer viable,” the organization adds. 

Board president Tom Uhler, a longtime Lee County financial services entrepreneur and philanthropist, adds one other factor that worked against the symphony: recent leadership departures at the staff and board levels. “After much consideration … the Board of Trustees has determined that the only course of action is to close the Southwest Florida Symphony,” Uhler, co-founder of Uhler Vertich White Advisors, says in the statement. “It was a difficult decision, and I’m proud of the board’s commitment to the symphony with consideration for the staff, the musicians, the donors and community.

Musicians of the Southwest Florida Symphony, the organization’s union, part of American Federation of Musicians Local 427-721, disagrees with the reasons the board laid out. In an April 30 Facebook post, Richard Sparrow, Secretary-Treasurer of AFM Local 427-721, says “the suggestion that orchestral music is no longer viable is simply false. Many orchestras across the country — including right here in Florida — have demonstrated the opposite. Sarasota and Naples, just an hour north and south, have thriving ensembles with loyal audiences, strong fundraising and sustainable contracts." (The Sarasota Orchestra is in the early stages of building a new facility, a project that could cost up to $425 million; in February it received a $50 million anonymous gift toward that project.) 

The union further states the symphony's demise stems from “over a decade of weak and shortsighted leadership” that includes “chronic mismanagement, programming cuts, declining community presence and deteriorating labor relations.” 

The symphony, in addition to being one of the oldest in Florida, is Lee County’s only professional orchestra. It spent its early years performing a handful of concerts in community centers, schools and churches, growing a following throughout the region. In 1981 it merged with a chorus and became the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Association. The Symphony later grew to a roster of 70 musicians. Shows include Masterworks Concerts, Pops Concerts and Holiday Pops Concerts at multiple smaller venues throughout Lee and Charlotte counties. The Symphony has also performed in other cities throughout Florida.