OJAI : Symphony Cancels Fourth of July Show

The brassy sounds of Sousa, which have filled Ojai’s Libbey Bowl on the Fourth of July for more than a decade, will be silenced this year because the Ventura County Symphony can no longer afford to stage the holiday concert, symphony officials said Wednesday.

The evening concert has lost money for the past five years due to dropping attendance, lack of sponsorship and competition from other events, symphony association Executive Director Karine Beesley said.

“We just can’t afford it,” she said. “And we’re not happy about it. It’s a tradition we’re sad we’re losing.”

The symphony could have played Ojai this year had it raised its $17 admission fee to about $30, Beesley said. But given the decline in attendance, symphony officials anticipated that the increase would not work.

Barely 1,000 people attended last year’s concert, which was down several hundred from previous years. Beesley attributed the decline to the recession and competition from other Fourth of July activities, including concerts held before the fireworks display at Nordhoff High School’s football stadium.

“I think our symphony is feeling the pinch,” she said. “We have not seen the recession turn around for us. I’m hoping someone in the Ojai area sees this and says, ‘Wow, we don’t want to lose this,’ and will offer sponsorship” for next year.

Ojai City Manager Andrew Belknap was surprised to learn that the symphony was not returning to Libbey Bowl.