Orchestras Canada

With less than two weeks to go until our National Meetings, Orchestras Canada staff are focusing on fine-tuning the details of the event-from the opening cocktail reception at the Canadian Music Centre to the final presentation and workshop by Richard Evans of EMCArts. We’re posting fresh updates to the National Meeting pages on the OC website, and we’ll soon be launching our first ever National Meeting app, too.

On Tuesday, June 4, from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Eastern, OC is hosting a teleconference for youth orchestra people from across Canada, entitled Building Your Youth Orchestra: Successful Strategies for Recruitment. We’ve heard a lot about the challenges that Canadian youth orchestras are facing in recruiting committed young musicians to their membership – and we’ve also heard some success stories, too. Join John Gomez, founder of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy and music director of the Ottawa Youth Orchestra, for an interactive conversation about recruitment strategies that work. John will share what he’s learned in the thirty-one years since he founded the OYO, and he’ll invite call participants to talk about their successful recruitment strategies, as well. Come to the call prepared to learn, and to share. We’ll send out toll-free dial-in information for the call 24 hours ahead of the scheduled call time. All you’ll need to participate is a telephone – and your own good ideas. To register, please visit orchestrascanadayo3.eventbrite.com.

Youth orchestras across the country are about to get an email from consultant C. Stephen Smith – and we urge you to take the time to read his email carefully, and respond! Mr. Smith has been engaged by Orchestras Canada to help us better understand the current situation and needs of Canadian youth orchestras. Step 1 in the process is a survey of Canadian youth orchestras; step 2 is a series of teleconference discussions with representatives from youth orchestras across the country on themes identified through the survey. Step 3 is the development of recommendations on the ways in which Orchestras Canada could be most useful to youth orchestras, working collaboratively with them as well as such organizational partners as the Association des orchestres des jeunes du Quebec (AOJQ) and the Saskatchewan Orchestral Association.

The study is being undertaken with the financial support of the Ontario Arts Investment Fund, and Task Force made up of Ken MacLeod of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra/Sistema NB (chair), Louise Richard (AOJQ), John Gomez (Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy), Diana Weir (Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra), Paul Dornian (Mount Royal Conservatory), Sheila Redhead (Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra), and Katherine Carleton (Orchestras Canada, ex officio).

For more information about the project, please contact Katherine Carleton via email at katherine [at] oc [dot] ca.