Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Jazz this week: COVID-19 outbreak leads to cancellations, postponements

With the COVID-19 crisis leading to restrictions on the size of public gatherings and the closing of local bars and restaurants for everything but delivery and takeout service, all live music in St. Louis is effectively shut down for the next eight weeks.

A number of local presenters and venues have announced specific details about closings, cancellations, postponements, refunds for tickets already purchased, and related issues. Those announcements include:

* Jazz St. Louis released a statement this week saying that they are postponing all performances at their facility until at least Wednesday, May 27, and are suspending educational programs, including Jazz U and Jazz Academy, until at least April 3.

The statement continued, "Ticketholders do not have to do anything at this time except keep their tickets. They will be honored for the rescheduled show. We already are working with the artists to reschedule this Spring’s shows. Once we have done so, we will notify you of the dates and you will have the opportunity at that time to change nights or apply the value of your tickets toward a different show."

* The Sheldon Concert Hall has canceled or postponed all scheduled events through May 1. Plans to reschedule some events are underway, and ticket buyers have been told to retain their current tickets, as they will be honored for the new date. For details on which shows have been postponed and which will not be rescheduled, see The Sheldon's website.

* The Pageant, Delmar Hall and Blueberry Hill have postponed or cancelled all shows through the end of April. Details on rescheduling, refunds and related issues can be found on a dedicated page on The Pageant's website.

* The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has closed all its associated venues, including The Dark Room, Kranzberg Arts Center, .ZACK, Grandel Theatre, Sophie's Artist Lounge and High Low, through May 11. Ticket holders for events at these venues will be contacted by Metrotix to ask if they want a refund or would like to donate the money to KAF.

* A post on social media from Broadway Oyster Bar announced that "BOB's dining and music venues will be closed until further notice," while the restaurant continuing to offer carryout and delivery service.

* Blue Strawberry sent out an email stating that they will be "closing our doors for the next 16 days. Our next currently open day is Thursday, April 2." Tickets already purchased will honored for rescheduled dates, can be exchanged for another scheduled show, or can be refunded, depending on the buyer's preference.

While not every venue or presenter has made a specific announcement yet, given current conditions the default assumption at this time should be that they are closed. For specific details, check their websites (many of which are linked on the sidebar here) and/or social media, or call.

As for StLJN, since a lot of the coverage here revolves around live shows, things here will be changing for the time being, too.

This likely will be the last "Jazz This Week" post for a while, until local presenters and venues start up again. The regular round-ups of local news and recent music-related links will continue on Fridays and Sundays, respectively, and there will be Saturday video posts, though they'll be focused on topics other than previewing upcoming performances.

In addition, StLJN will continue to cover any relevant breaking news as it happens, so to make sure you don't miss out on anything, subscribe to the StLJN email digest (it's free!), and follow StLJN on Facebook and Twitter.

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