Fla. Concert Association Files BK

The Concert Association of Florida, which was responsible for bringing classical and world music to South Florida, has filed for bankruptcy and ended a 42-year run.

The organization’s board said it could not recover from a huge drop in ticket sales and donations.

“Up until a couple of weeks ago, we thought we could still pull this off,” attorney and board chairman Robert Hudson told the Miami Herald shortly after filing for Chapter 7 liquidation.

The association has set aside $100,000 to refund tickets for canceled shows, but most of the 18 shows scheduled through April will take place as planned.

Four concerts were canceled, including a March 3 show by The Chieftains at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theatre.

Two other shows are being moved: A Feb. 22 concert by Mark O’Connor to the University of Miami and an April 16-19 series by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre to the Arsht Center.

In the bankruptcy filing, the group reported debt of about $1.8 million. Assets were listed at $755,000, but a lawyer on the group’s board says they are closer to $180,000 because a joint venture with a private company is overvalued.

A creditor’s meeting is scheduled for March 20. Documents show the largest debt holder is owed about $950,000.