Two early backers of the San Antonio Philharmonic said they have settled a two-year-old lawsuit with the orchestra over allegations its management didn’t honor terms of $180,000 in loans the pair extended to fund its operations.
The Philharmonic — which formed in 2022 from the ashes of the defunct San Antonio Symphony — agreed to pay all amounts the suit alleged it owes, according to a written statement released Thursday by married couple David Wood and Colette Holt. The orchestra has also agreed to cover attorneys’ fees for all parties, they added.
“In short, the Philharmonic will pay every dollar sought by the plaintiffs,” the statement said, although it didn’t provide an exact figure.
Via a text message, Philharmonic Executive Director Roberto Treviño confirmed that the orchestra “reluctantly” settled the suit because it was the right course of action for both its finances and its donors.
“Every dollar we didn’t spend on prolonged litigation is a dollar we can spent on the music,” said Treviño, a former member of San Antonio City Council.
The lawsuit has hardly been the only turmoil surrounding the Philharmonic during its short life. The group suffered an exodus of key employees and board members in 2024, and it ended its 2026 season early after losing its musical director, canceling multiple concerts and being locked out its primary venue.
The Philharmonic is still involved in a legal dispute with the owner of its former venue, the Scottish Rite masons. In court filings, the Scottish Rite accused the orchestra of failing to make hundreds of thousands in repairs it promised to fund, while the Phil has accused the fraternal order of refusing to honor its contract.
In comments to the Current on Thursday, Treviño said the Philharmonic is in the planning stages of a new concert season with current Musical Director Filipe Tristan and “hope[s] to have an announcement very soon.”
Meanwhile, the Philharmonic’s previous director, Jeffrey Kahane, this spring announced that he’d formed a new orchestra and educational initiative, the San Antonio Harmonium, of which he will serve as founding artistic director.
Wood and Holt sued the Philharmonic in September 2024 in Bexar County District Court, accusing the orchestra’s leadership of breach of contract. The plaintiffs demanded money they provided to buy the group’s music library from the defunct San Antonio Symphony plus a band shell that was to be used in public performances.
At the time, Holt told the Current that she and her husband sued because Treviño repeatedly blew off their attempts to discuss the group’s finances and concerns about its viability.
“We were motivated to protect the music library, which is an irreplaceable asset that should belong to the people of San Antonio,” Holt said at the time.
Wood and Holt declined to discuss the settlement beyond their written statement. However, in the document, they said their intent was simply to protect their obligations.
“We did not bring these cases for sport, publicity, or leverage. We brought them because promises were made, obligations were incurred, and those obligations were not honored,” the couple said in an emailed statement. “We believed the facts and the law were on our side. The settlement confirms that belief.”
The couple said they also wanted to the settlement to bring about reflection on the turmoil surrounding the orchestra.
“For years, critics of the Philharmonic’s leadership, finances, governance, and decision-making were dismissed as troublemakers, pessimists, or enemies of the organization,” they said. “Yet many of the concerns raised by musicians, donors, creditors, audience members, former board members, and community leaders ultimately proved impossible to ignore.
The statement also said they hoped the situation would provide a lesson to future groups working to present classical music in the Alamo City.
“San Antonio deserves a great orchestra. It also deserves transparency, accountability, competent governance, financial responsibility, and respect for the community that supports it,” the couple said. “We hope that the mistakes that led to years of conflict, litigation, and division are not repeated.”
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