Orchestras Canada is delighted to announce the three winners of the Betty Webster Awards for 2009.
Created in 2002, the Awards honour OC executive director emeritus Elizabeth Webster by recognizing people and organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the Canadian orchestral community, specifically through leadership, education and volunteerism. Award recipients are selected by a panel of peers from across Canada.
In the words of 2009 Awards Committee Chair Vicki Young, “It is truly inspiring to know that so much creative, committed activity is taking place across the country in communities both large and small, in orchestras with local, regional, national and international ambitions. Each of this year’s winners so admirably embodies the key criteria for the award: leadership, education and volunteerism.”
The 2009 winners (from west to east) are:
Jeff Alexander, Vancouver BC
Jeff Alexander has been President and CEO of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) since 2000. Significant accomplishments during his time at the VSO include the reformatting of concert series, an expansion of educational and community programs, use of video screens in the concert hall, the Society’s first endowment campaign ($10.2 million raised to date), planning and implementation of an Asia-Pacific tour, and the creation of a 25,000 square foot Symphony Centre and VSO School of Music (to open in January 2011). Under his leadership, the VSO’s subscription and single ticket sales, individual, corporate and government support have all increased, resulting in operating surpluses for five consecutive years beginning in fiscal 2004.
In addition to his work at the VSO, Mr. Alexander has been a member of the Board of Directors of Orchestras Canada since 2001, recently completing a 2-year term as Chair. As well, he is a trusted mentor and advisor to many people in the Canadian orchestral community.
In summarizing the committee’s discussions about Mr. Alexander’s candidacy, awards chair Vicki Young noted that “Jeff Alexander has provided professional, volunteer, and moral leadership throughout his career while building strength in the orchestral community. His commitment to the music and to music education has been noted, and in a year of great achievement for the VSO, he has been at the heart of those achievements. We hope that his work is far from done!”
Jeff Alexander was nominated for the award by Caroline Miller (General Manager, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra) and Annelisa Pedersen (Executive Director, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra).
Kathy Humphreys, Kamloops BC
Kathy Humphreys has been General Manager of the Kamloops Symphony for twenty seasons. During her tenure, the organization’s service to its community has grown substantially, the main series programmes have doubled, the budget has quadrupled and the orchestra has never experience a deficit or carried a debt. In 2008-09, Ms. Humphreys successfully implemented expansion plans to include a series of performances in the neighbouring city of Salmon Arm.
Tirelessly working to advance not only the Kamloops Symphony, but also the state of music-making in the community, Ms Humphreys has been a major force in the development of the Kamloops Symphony Music School, which now boasts 17 professional music teachers and 200 students.
In addition to her work with the Kamloops Symphony, Ms Humphreys is actively involved with her colleagues regionally and nationally, and is a trusted advisor to peer orchestra managers. Speaking on behalf of the committee, Betty Webster cited Kathy Humphrey as a “very strong person who does a lot for the community. I feel very proud of what she has done.” Vicki Young noted that “Kathy Humphreys continues to bring a positive, energetic focus to her work with the Kamloops Symphony, and the resulting growth in that company has been remarkable. Her dedication to volunteerism, education and advocacy were all mentioned as significant factors for the KSO’s strength as an organization.”
Kathy Humphreys was nominated by Kamloops Symphony Music Director, Bruce Dunn.
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Toronto ON
Delighting audiences for more than three decades, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is comprised of 17 musicians under the leadership of artistic director Jeanne Lamon. Each year, the orchestra reaches thousands of people through its provincial, national and international touring, recordings, broadcasts, new media and artistic and community partnerships. Tafelmusik presents 50 concerts per season in Toronto and is committed to touring different parts of Canada every year. An integral part of Tafelmusik’s success worldwide has been its recordings, with a discography of 76 baroque and classical discs.
Jeanne Lamon and Tafelmusik Baroque Choir Director Ivars Taurins appear regularly as guests with professional orchestras across Canada, influencing their approaches to baroque and classical music. As well, Tafelmusik is training the next generation of Canadian musicians through both the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute and a post-graduate diploma at the University of Toronto, where the group is Baroque Orchestra-in-Residence.
Vicki Young noted that “Tafelmusik’s volunteer, staff and artistic leadership team plays a significant role on the Canadian arts scene. Their consistent, confident approach, their commitment to technological, artistic and administrative innovation, and their willingness to share what they know have set a remarkable example. As well, their creative partnering and dedication to education have made them both artistic and business leaders.”
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra was nominated by Joan Cullemore, a former Tafelmusik board member.
The award presentations will take place at concerts by the winners’ orchestras in the fall of 2009. As OC Executive Director Katherine Carleton says, “it is an honour to be able to recognize these outstanding members of the Canadian orchestral community in front of the audiences they’ve served with such fidelity for so many years.”
The 2009 Awards committee was chaired by Manitoba Chamber Orchestra General Manager Vicki Young. She was joined by Annemarie Petrov (Managing Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra); Ken MacLeod (Chair of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra); Stéphane Laforest (First Assistant Conductor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke and La Sinfonia de Lanaudière); Betty Webster (Executive Director Emeritus of OC); and Katherine Carleton (Executive Director of OC).
