We’ve also just launched a parallel program for education and community engagement staff of Canadian orchestras, partially underwritten by an anonymous foundation partner. This event runs May 28-29, and will include presentations, round tables and panel discussions on key topics, along with a healthy amount of peer exchange. More information coming soon!

The meeting had a number of components, including:

• A tour and inaugural performance at the brand new VSO School of Music;
• A gracious welcome from Vancouver Symphony Orchestra music director Bramwell Tovey and Board Chair Art Willms;
• Reports and presentations by key partners and funders, including the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians, the Canadian Federation of Musicians, Musicians’ Pension Fund of Canada, CBC English Radio and Radio Music, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian Heritage;
• Presentations on game-changing initiatives by Tricia Baldwin and Randy Barnard for Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra; Gilbert Brault from the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal; and Joanne Harada, Scott Good and Pierre Simard from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra;
• The season closing concert of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, featuring a new work by Scott Good, violinist James Ehnes, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1;
• An entire day devoted to the latest thinking on fundraising and audience growth initiatives, with presentations by Douglas Kinzey (Audience Strategies for the Arts); Simon Trevelyan (ST Legacy Group); Rob Gloor and Rob Severin (GSI Management); Andrea McManus (AFP International); Jack McAuliffe, Kate Prescott and David Snead (Patron Growth Initiative); Luce Moreau and Krista Thompson; and Ken Macleod and Larry Matthews (KMA Consultants);
• A sunset harbour cruise that showcased Vancouver in all its beauty;
• A thoughtful summary by rapporteur Wendy Reid (HEC Montréal);
• A plenary discussion on next steps for our national association, facilitated by new OC board chair Thérèse Boutin.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting resources from many of these sessions on our website. Watch upcoming issues of Orchestra News for more details.

In hindsight, it’s a daunting list: and none of these things would have been possible with the support, encouragement and enthusiastic participation of

• our hosts at the VSO School of Music and Vancouver Symphony – with particular thanks to VSO President and CEO Jeff Alexander and VSO School of Music Executive Director Shaun Taylor;
• our donors and sponsors, including Dr. George Freundlich and Great West Life/London Life/Canada Life;
• the Canada Council for the Arts, whose support of travel bursaries for people from smaller-budget orchestras was integral to ensuring a truly national dialogue;
• coffee break sponsors Soccer Mom Records, Cowan Insurance, and Long & McQuade;
• the planning committee: Jeff Alexander, Annemarie Petrov and Françoise Henri;
• the team of onsite volunteers, with particular thanks to C. Stephen Smith, Rob Severin, Rob Gloor, and the devoted volunteers from the Vancouver Symphony Society;
• our team of presenters, who gave generously of what they know, and were lots of fun, to boot!

Have you registered yet? There’s still room for you!

Are you considering applying for travel support? Check out the eligibility guidelines, here.

Don’t keep this information to yourself! The beauty of the USB key is that it’s easy to transport. Pass these presentations around to all those who may be interested: board members, marketing and development staff, etc.

Orchestras Canada’s Chief Statistician, C. Stephen Smith, has set to work on the Comparative Report on the 2009-10 fiscal year, collecting financial statements, audience information and updated contextual information from OC member orchestras with annual revenues over $75,000. If your orchestra has not yet heard from Steve, and you qualify to participate, please contact the Orchestras Canada office, by phone at 416-366-8834 x221 or by email at info [at] oc [dot] ca.

The dates and location have been chosen for the National Orchestras Meeting 2011: we’ll be in Vancouver from June 13-15, hosted by the Vancouver Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony School of Music. Before the planning task force holds its first meeting, we’d like to get your thoughts on the topics you’d like to cover, the balance of the agenda you’d like to see, and the speakers from whom you’d like to hear. We’ve prepared a short questionnaire, and you can access it here. Deadline for participation is end of day, Monday, October 18.

We recorded many of the sessions at our National Orchestras Meeting in Winnipeg in June – and in July and August 2010, Orchestras Canada summer student Mike Romaniak devoted seven weeks to editing the recordings, synching them with the accompanying PowerPoint presentations – and turning them into a multi-media learning resources, in both English and French. They’re now copied onto USB memory sticks, and we’ll be sending them to renewing members. Now everyone (whether you were able to attend the meetings or not) will be able to share in the learnings.

Cultural Careers Council Ontario has announced the launch of a career self-management course entitled The Business of Art, a course designed to provide creative workers with the business skills to plan for success and take control of their careers.  This intensive program helps creative workers from any field transfer their artistic planning skills to career and business.  The program begins on April 12, it’s being presented in Toronto, and it costs $299.00 plus $14.95 GST. Registration includes 6 workshops, one group coaching session, a manual/workbook, review of business plans and a final presentation.  To register, visit here.

The Center for Arts Management and Technology at Carnegie Mellon University is presenting a webinar entitled The Arts & Social Media, Part II: Turning Strategy Into Results, on March 23 from 2:00pm – 3:30pm Eastern.  The cost is $25 USD.  Here’s how they’re describing the session, led by Rebecca Krause-Hardie of Audienceworks:

“You’ve dabbled with social media. You’ve got a general sense of how to think about it strategically. Now what? In this session, we’ll go beyond the jargon into the nitty-gritty and practical details of executing a successful social media plan. This is a highly interactive session. As the starting point, we’ll explore your goals, questions and your projects and clarify the steps needed to turn them into reality.

In this engaging 90-minute session, you will:
Learn how to create a step by step action plan to get you going;
Look at some great case studies from other arts organizations;
Identify and define 5 practical steps you can take now to have your project soar.”

To register, you can visit the Technology in the Arts website here.

Orchestras Canada’s donors are at the heart of our work on behalf of Canadian orchestras.  We are grateful to everyone who has made a gift to Orchestras Canada this year, and – thanks to their generosity – we are only $2142 short of our individual fundraising target for the year ending March 31.  With just over three weeks left to go, we know we can reach our goal:  but we need your help. To make a gift to Orchestras Canada, you can:

1.  Visit our giving page at CanadaHelps.org here.
2.  Call Jennifer Caines at the OC office, to make a gift by credit card: 416-366-8834 x221
3.  Mail a cheque to

Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada
203-460 rue College Street
Toronto, ON M6G 1A1

March 15 marks the deadline for participation in a new survey of Canadian orchestras’ community engagement programs – and we’ve already been amazed and impressed by the level of participation you’ve shown!  Many thanks to all OC members who have taken the time and contributed to this report.  At the end of January, Jennifer Caines emailed the survey to 71 orchestras; as of earlier this week, 35 orchestras have responded.  We look forward to sharing the results with you later this spring.  If you’d like more information, please get in touch with Jennifer at jennifer[at]oc[dot]ca.

Orchestra News will not be published next week, March 12.  We’ll be back with a blockbuster issue on March 19.