Tulsa Community College's Signature Symphony will shut down after this season, ending a 48-year run of professional orchestral performances in south Tulsa.

TCC announced the closure Tuesday, Sept. 29, following a financial review of operating costs, ticket sales and long-term sustainability, KTUL first reported. The decision will affect about 70 part-time, contracted professional musicians and four staff members, according to the Tulsa Flyer. TCC academic programs and enrolled students will not be affected.

The symphony was founded in 1978 and became TCC's professional orchestra-in-residence in 1996, performing at the VanTrease Performing Arts Center for Education on the college's Southeast Campus at 10300 East 81st St. The venue also hosts TCC Music and Theatre productions and visiting artists, according to the college's website.

TCC President and CEO Leigh Goodson called the decision difficult, saying the college must evaluate how it uses resources. "We are grateful to everyone who has contributed to Signature Symphony," Goodson said in a statement.

The roots of the closure trace to a 2018 agreement by TCC's Board of Regents to fund the symphony. That agreement included a stipulation: the orchestra would cease operations once the designated funds ran out. The funds are now exhausted. The college has also subsidized a large number of tickets for performances over the years, the Tulsa Flyer reported.

No dollar figures for the 2018 funding agreement or the symphony's annual operating budget have been made public.

The final season, titled "Just Vibin'," is already underway. Artistic Director Scott Seaton led the 48th-season opener, "New World, New Voices," on Sept. 19 at the VanTrease center. That concert featured works by Valerie Coleman, Duke Ellington and Antonín Dvořák, with guest saxophonist Lance Bryant performing Ellington's "Three Black Kings."

Tickets for remaining performances are available at signaturesymphony.org or by calling 918-595-7777.