Severe budget cuts by the city left the orchestra out in the cold. "They decided not to fund us, which was extremely disappointing," said Rosemary Thurston, the VSO's board president.

Though conductor David Ramadanoff is out of the country until Tuesday, he was equally disappointed, Thurston said, regretting that the announcement came down too late for the symphony to do its own fundraising.

"Without a definite plan of action, it wasn't feasible for us to do," Thurston said. "Hopefully, something positive will happen."

Former Mayor Gloria Exline, a longtime symphony supporter, said it "is very sad" that the symphony was omitted from this year's Independence Day festivities.

"I know there are a tremendous number of people who go there after the parade and enjoy the music," Exline said.

Judith Brown, executive director of the Vallejo Music Theatre, which participated in the July 4 planning, chastised the City Council for not funding the symphony's appearance.

"I'm really upset they didn't plan for it in this year's budget," Brown said. "Once again, I ask the council: Have you lost your minds?"

Brown said eliminating the symphony's appearance is everyone's loss. "If I were a violent person, I'd hit someone in the head with a 2x4," she added.

Thurston "was disappointed that the group that formed to put on the Fourth of July parade didn't contact us. The first I knew about it was what I saw in the paper."

Thurston said it costs $13,884 to fund the professional musicians' appearance. "I guess they felt for one reason or another, they couldn't afford to pay and have a professional symphony," Thurston said.

Because other symphonies compete for the musicians - especially on a popular holiday - performing gratis was out of the question.

"There's a high demand," Thurston said. "That's why we need a month to get everybody lined up. Sometimes, it's a matter of eating. It's not like they have a regular salary with benefits."

Thurston said she was told by a city official in March there was "no problem" in bringing the symphony back for its 25th Pops Concert.
"I think, with more time, there would have been more creative things that could have been done," she said. "But we were hit all of a sudden. It's sad. Again, to have it suddenly stopped after its been in existence almost 25 years is really disappointing."
Whether the next subscription series could include a July 4 concert or a different fund-raising approach needs to be made, Thurston said she hoped the symphony returns next Independence Day.

"This gives us a year to try to come up with something," she said.  top