Dear Members and Friends:
I am so sorry to inform you that the Jussi Björling Society – USA is having to cancel the planned Chicago Conference for March 23-26, 2023.
The Board of Directors has been struggling this winter with deteriorating conditions for the conference, the worst of them being the loss of both speakers and attendees due to ongoing concerns about Covid variants, the discomfort and uncertainty of current airline travel, and visa issues.
Additionally, some of you indicated you would prefer to register in February, but unfortunately, the Chicago deadlines for a JBS financial commitment to performance tickets and hotel rooms could not be extended beyond January 23. It was an unhappy decision.
We will be refunding registration fees soon to those of you who have already registered, unless we hear different instructions from you. We will also be reaching out individually to our donors with something special.
Some good news: we are planning to begin this year a series of Zoom presentations by our conference speakers, including those who could not attend in person, and similar to that of Conrad L. Osborne of last October. At least we will not miss out on their fascinating experiences and expertise, and can participate in their Q and A sessions. We will announce details in the coming weeks along with other news.
We plan to move on quickly with more new plans for the future, but of course deeply regret the loss of seeing all of you and celebrating together 25 years of this wonderful organization.
With warmest regards,
Janel E. Lundgren
President, JBS-USA
Jussi with Tito Gobbi, Tullio Serafin, and Renata Tebaldi, Chicago 1957