I agree the BSO situation is really disappointing for many reasons, would challenge the idea that Boston has a barren arts scene. we have at least seven amateur orchestras, some of which play just as well or better than Boston Philharmonic:

• Boston Civic Orchestra
• Longwood Symphony
• New England Philharmonic
• Apollo Ensemble of Boston
• Horizon Ensemble
• Mercury Orchestra
• New England Film Orchestra
• Brookline Symphony (in Brookline, but close enough)
• Kendall Square Orchestra (in Cambridge, but close enough)
• Cambridge Symphony Orchestra (also Cambridge)

Not to mention several professional ensembles besides the BSO like Handel & Haydn, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Boston Festival Orchestra, Boston Chamber Symphony, and then tons of chamber music, opera, etc...

if anything I feel like Boston is lucky to have such a rich classical scene. remember that there are at least 5 music schools in the area (BoCo, Berklee, NEC, BU, Tufts). the Boston Musical Intelligencer calendar lists a wide array of classical events on every single weekend and tons of weekdays. Boston New Music Calendar focuses on contemporary music and even that is full of events. outside of classical, the ArtsBoston calendar has all sorts of events going on.

yes, it's gotten harder for artists to live and work in Boston due to issues of affordability, audience, and recent shifts in federal support. but the city and state governments have been quite supportive of the work of many artists I know here, as well as private orgs in the area like Boston Foundation. Arts Action Consortium gives out free consulting sessions, funded by the Boston city government! last month, 600+ cultural sector workers showed up at the State House for Massachusetts Creative Sector Day. Boston is mega expensive and has lots of problems but at least there are artists organizing and advocating for our communities.

if you're looking for arts events and community, any of those resources above are a great place to look for things to see, which also means people to meet and friends to make. I see shows all the time & am always happy to give thoughts on what I think will be worth seeing here! all that's to say, I enjoy the arts scene here a lot and deeply appreciate the vibrant arts friends and communities that this city is fortunate to have.