The Grand Floridian Society Orchestra announced today on social media that their performance this Saturday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be their last. After 32 years of appearing at Disney’s Grand Floridian, and then at the Theater of the Stars post-furlough following the Parks’ reopening, the Orchestra informed their social media followers that their time at Disney World is coming to a close:
It’s hard to find the words but, sadly, our days at the Grand Floridian are over. In fact, as of Oct 3, 2020, our days at WDW will come to an end as well.
The company brought us out of furlough, changed our name to “The Disney Society Orchestra,” closed us out of the GF to play a show of Disney themed show tunes at the Theater of the Stars in Hollywood Studios. We’ve been playing 9 shows a day, 7 days a week since Aug 2nd. The music is a far cry from the closely knit harmonies & sounds we became known for at the GF but the guys are real pros and they sound great!
Well… Two weeks ago we got notice that the theater is going dark and our last day of work will be Saturday, Oct 3, 2020. As we all know, these are very uncertain times and can’t say what will happen from one day to the next.
So after 32 years of playing together and playing music we love… we’re done. We are so thankful for the opportunity to play in a beautiful setting for the hotel guests and friends we have met & made over the years. We’ll never forget you and how wonderful you’ve made us feel. We will miss you!
Thank you-thank you- thank you!
To the delight of hotel’s guests, the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra played from its spot on the second floor of the deluxe resort until it was moved to the first floor with the construction of Enchanted Rose, the ‘Beauty And The Beast’-themed lounge.
When Walt Disney World reopened after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra was renamed The Disney Society Orchestra and was reassigned to Hollywood Studios’ Theater of the Stars. As stated in their post, the Orchestra has been performing at their current venue since August 2.
WDW News Today reached out to Disney to share the disappointment they had heard from fans with the company’s decision to close the curtain on The Grand Floridian Society Orchestra and received this statement via email:
“As you may know, we are always evaluating and refining our offerings and creating new ideas to build upon Disney stories. This philosophy is in keeping with Walt Disney’s vision for continuing to grow and evolve, giving Guests a mixture of familiar and new experiences with each visit. In alignment with this philosophy, we have made the decision to end the limited-time run of the Disney Society Orchestra and Friends this fall with their last performance being on Saturday, October 3, 2020. We apologize for any disappointment that this may cause you and please be assured that was have shared all of your feedback with the appropriate Executive Leadership Teams.”
