GAINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) — The Gainesville Symphony Orchestra is shutting down after more than 30 years of operation.
Vanessa Hyatt, vice president of the symphony, says every effort was made to keep the symphony going, but there was not enough public support to save it.
The Times of Gainesville reports (http://bit.ly/11VmDW4) that symphony leaders blame the demise on a bleak economy and an overall lack of public support.
Hyatt said the decision to quit operations had been prolonged since about five years ago, when the symphony's board first saw a dramatic drop in donations. She said it seemed as if donations were cut in half.
The Gainesville Symphony Orchestra began as the Lanier Symphony Orchestra in 1982. It held its performances at Brenau University in recent years.
Gainesville is about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta.
