Orchestras Canada

This is the first comprehensive fundraising textbook written by Canadians for Canadians, and is a must-read for Canadian fundraising professionals. Edited by fundraising great Guy Mallabone (President and CEO, Global Philanthropic Inc.), with each of the 20 chapters written by a different Canadian fundraising expert, the genesis of the book came about from two eminent U.S. fundraising anthologies: Achieving Excellence in Fundraising and The NonProfit Handbook in Fundraising. Because of many differences in philanthropy between the U.S. and Canada, this book was written to be the Canadian go-to source for fundraising.

Excellence in Fundraising in Canada is organized by fundraising topic, including strategic planning, major gifts, online fundraising, board governance and communication, special events, and capital campaigns, etc. This is not a niche book specializing in Canadian discrepancies to supplement traditional (i.e. U.S.) fundraising books. Rather, this is a comprehensive fundraising textbook from a Canadian perspective. So while trends, examples, and tax and privacy laws are based on fundraising in Canada, the principles would be valuable to fundraisers across the globe.

This book aims to be all-inclusive in fundraising topics and, as such, is an excellent first stop for any fundraising questions. Each chapter concludes with a section on where to go for further information. So, if you want to dig into, say, monthly giving, Excellence in Fundraising in Canada will be an excellent place to start, and will point you in the direction of how to continue. While all chapters provide great basic information and serve as at least a starting point, some are more detailed than others.

In some cases, I would like to see more specifics. For example, while the chapter on data management has thought provoking points around what sort of data should be captured and measured, how to determine an organization’s needs, and what to look for in a database, I would also benefit from seeing specific database programs analyzed and rated for their efficacy, unique capabilities, pros, cons, and price. Similarly, specific examples of what a great (or not so great!) grant application might look like would also be helpful.

On the other hand, I find the discussion of the board’s role in fundraising to be very robust. This section builds the case for the board to be involved in fundraising, and does so by using the specific language that can be used when speaking with the board or other stakeholders. The case starts out by stating that the board is legally responsible for all of the organization’s actions, specifically for ensuring that it is complying with laws, staying on track with the mission and strategic direction, and is financially healthy. Next, if fundraising is a “mission critical” revenue source for an organization, then it warrants a strategic approach and an application of all available resources. The board’s approval of and engagement in the fundraising strategy is then a governance responsibility of great importance.

All in all, this book is extremely useful and has earned a permanent space in my office. I’ll leave you with a succinct quote in the book that hits home the age-old why people give and clarifies the role of fundraising—keeping this top-of-mind will inform not only how and to whom asks are made, but also how budgets are set: “Nonprofit organizations exist to fulfill community needs. People do not give because an organization has needs. They give because your organization meets needs.”

Bio

Emma Penick, Director of Development, Symphony Nova Scotia

w: (902) 421-1300 x228 m: (902) 441-0835 development@symphonyns.ca

Emma Penick has been involved in development and programming for organizations in the corporate and not-for-profit spheres for the last 10+ years. Most recently, Emma worked in development at Sing for Hope, a New York-based non-profit whose claim to fame is having staged the nation’s largest public art project: 60 painted pianos outdoors for two weeks throughout New York’s five boroughs for all to play. Emma’s background in business includes having been an Associate at Mercer Management Consulting. She also founded EBP Literary Agency. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an A.B. in Sociology from Princeton University. She is originally from Halifax and joined Symphony Nova Scotia in 2010.

Every year, we are deluged with media releases about orchestras’ holiday programs. And every year, we admire afresh those orchestras that embrace the opportunity to spread holiday cheer while celebrating their communities. Here are some recent examples:

December 14, Orchestra London will team up with the Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness to present the fourth annual performance of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol at Centennial Hall. The event features a dramatic reading of the classic tale, performed by local legal luminaries, along with sing-along performances of carols by Orchestra London (Alain Trudel, conductor) and the The London Singers & H. B. Beal Secondary School Singers (David B. Weaver, director). Proceeds from the pay-what-you-can, general admission event will support the Unity Project, an organization dedicated to providing shelter and services to the homeless, and Orchestra London.

December 2 and 3, Symphony Nova Scotia presents a one-man production of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol – featuring award-winning actor and playwright Jeremy Webb in all 30 roles! According to the media release, “Webb’s adaptation has already met with overwhelming critical and box office success across Nova Scotia, and has been performed for 80,000 audience members since the beginning of its run in 2003.” The concerts also mark the release of a new recording, featuring Webb and the orchestra in a series of new arrangements by Halifax composer Scott Macmillan.

December 3 and 4, the Windsor Symphony presents a family Christmas pops program that features a performance of Raymond Briggs’s The Snowman (complete with animated short film), along with the WSO Chorus, Windsor Essex Youth Choir, Walkerville Centre for the Creative Arts Chorus, Kylee Phillips, and the Windsor Dance eXperience performing to “Skater’s Waltz” and “La Boutique Fantasque”. WSO Music Director John Morris Russell conducts. As an additional feature, the WSO will be accepting donations during intermission and after the concerts in support of Children’s Aid Society (CAS).

Today, November 2, Symphony Nova Scotia, the CBC and the Children’s Chorus of Nova Scotia celebrate the CBC’s 75th anniversary by presenting a brand new recording of O Canada to every school in Nova Scotia. Schools all across the province will be able to use the recording for the morning anthem and at special events.

In April, CBC recorded five versions of O Canada with Symphony Nova Scotia and the Children’s Chorus of Nova Scotia (organized by the Nova Scotia Choral Federation) at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in the Dalhousie Arts Centre in Halifax. The entire symphony was joined by 105 youth from children’s choirs from all over Nova Scotia. They recorded bilingual, English, French, a capella choir and solo orchestra versions of the anthem.

Speaking about the project, Andrew Cochran, Managing Director for CBC in the Maritimes said, “this is the one song that tells everyone how proud we are to live in Canada and to be Canadians. We’re grateful to Symphony Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Choral Federation for being such splendid partners, and making it possible to give our national anthem to every school in Nova Scotia.”

The idea for the recording came from a conversation between Brian James, chair of the Symphony Nova Scotia Players’ Association, and his wife Michelle, a music teacher for the Halifax Regional School Board. “We thought that the students in Nova Scotia schools ought to have the opportunity to hear beautiful and inspired renditions of our national anthem performed by musicians right here in Nova Scotia,” said James.

“The playing of the national anthem is a central part of the school day,” said Education Minister Ramona Jennex. “I want to thank the CBC, Symphony Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Choral Federation for this marvelous gift of music to our students.”

All involved in this recording agreed to donate their time, skills, talents, equipment and facilities to make this happen.

The PEI Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of Natalie Williams Calhoun as its new Administrator. A busy professional cellist and teacher, Ms. Williams Calhoun has a Bachelor of Music in Violoncello Performance from the University of British Columbia and a Masters of Music from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. She is currently dividing her time between her administrative role with the PEISO, teaching with the Senior Division of the Singing Strings Orchestra in Charlottetown, and freelance orchestral and chamber performance in Atlantic Canada.

Hearty congratulations to Dale Godsoe, winner of the Symphony Nova Scotia’s 2011 Concertmaster Award. The award, which is presented to an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the well-being of SNS, is in honour of Ms Godsoe’s leadership of the orchestra’s Listen to the Future Endowment Campaign. The campaign, which began in 2008, has raised more than $5 million in cash, pledges, and anticipated matches under Dale’s guidance and leadership. SNS has not, however, been the only beneficiary of her time and wise counsel – as the media release notes, “in addition to her work at Symphony Nova Scotia, Dale has also provided leadership to the National Arts Centre, the United Way, the YWCA of Canada, and the Atlantic Film Festival. She has served as chair of the Vision TV Network and currently chairs the S-VOX Foundation, a foundation developed out of Vision TV that focuses on pluralism within Canada’s faith communities.”

September 30, October 1 and 2 mark year 2 for Culture Days and the 15th anniversary of les Journées de la Culture. Here’s a quick round up – east to west, more or less – of the orchestral activity we were able to identify via media releases from member orchestras, as well as the user-friendly websites for the movement.
Culture Days : culturedays.ca
Alberta Arts Days : culture.alberta.ca
Journées de la culture : journeesdelaculture.qc.ca

Symphony Nova Scotia: open dress rehearsal, September 30; Musical Munchkins programs at local libraries, October 1; small ensembles in various venues including the Discovery Centre October 1 and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, October 2.

Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil : chamber concert, October 2.
Orchestre symphonique de Lévis : open rehearsal with on-stage seating, October 2.
Orchestre symphonique des Basses-laurentides: meet the musicians, October 2.
Orchestre métropolitain : Sing with the Choir of the Orchestre métropolitain, October 1.

National Arts Centre Orchestra: participating in a complete weekend of Culture Days events presented by the National Arts Centre
Kingston Symphony: instrument petting zoo and open rehearsal, October 1.
Peterborough Symphony: behind the scenes at Showplace Peterborough, October 1.
Toronto Symphony Orchestra: 2 lobby concerts by a small ensemble, featuring performance, story-telling and instrument demonstrations, October 1.
Kitchener Waterloo Symphony: open rehearsal, September 30.
Stratford Symphony Orchestra : orchestra petting zoo, October 1.

Winnipeg Symphony: open dress rehearsal, September 30; small ensembles at Nuit Blanche, as part of Musicians in Healthcare, and at Steinkopf Gardens, October 1.

Saskatoon Symphony: quintet performance at Flowers by Fred, September 30; musical petting zoo, October 2.
Regina Symphony: Chamber Players performance at the Mackenzie Gallery, October 2.

Edmonton Symphony: Open dress rehearsal and tours of the Francis Winspear Centre for Music, September 30; Symphony 101 with D.T. Baker, October 1.

Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra: assorted events at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre, October 1.
Victoria Symphony: instrument petting zoo, October 1 and 2

From September 25-October 2, Symphony Nova Scotia kicks off its 29th season in Halifax and environs with a series of free concerts and special events designed to celebrate the orchestra. The full week of festivities will feature Symphony Nova Scotia musicians giving free, live performances at venues like Peggy’s Cove (with fireworks!), the Spring Garden Road Library, the Discovery Centre, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (where the family-friendly program includes a live, interactive performance with a wind group from the orchestra, an instrument petting zoo, and an artist-led gallery workshop). Performances will include everything from children’s music to orchestral concerts featuring the entire Symphony. For more information, please visit: http://www.symphonynovascotia.ca.

Congratulations to bassoonist Bogdan Chetaru, and violinist Adam Despinic! Winners of Symphony Hamilton’s recent young artists’ competition, they will both be featured in the orchestra’s season closing concert at Burlington’s Royal Botanical Gardens on Sunday, 29 May at 3 p.m.

Symphony Nova Scotia has announced the appointment of Shalom Bard as its next Resident Conductor, succeeding Martin MacDonald in the role. The position is made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts’ Residencies for Composers and Conductors program. Bard, a clarinetist, has recently completed a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting at McGill University. He will conduct the orchestra in more than 30 performances each season, including concerts on the orchestra’s main stage at the Rebecca Cohn, outreach concerts, and special events.

On June 16, Maestro John Morris Russell, music director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra – as well as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Windsor, in recognition of the many contributions he has made to the cultural and educational life of Windsor-Essex during his ten years as WSO music director.

Embracing Benjamin Franklin’s precept that “beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”, both the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and Symphony Nova Scotia have released details about upcoming fundraising events…that involve beer.

May 7, Symphony Nova Scotia presents its 20th annual Beer and Beethoven event, featuring the full orchestra, special guests JP Cormier and the Elliott Brothers, a putting green, an instrument petting zoo, commemorative t-shirts, refreshments of all kinds, and the chance to have your picture taken with a life-size “Beethoven” in a BMW racing suit! (Don’t blame us: we just report this stuff.)

May 11, the OSTR presents its third annual beer tasting event, a celebration of local micro-brewed products from four different breweries, accompanied by artisanal sausage and live jazz.

This week, Symphony Nova Scotia and music director Bernhard Gueller celebrate the genius of Scandinavian composers Edvard Grieg and Jean Sibelius with a three-concert Scandinavian Festival.

Carefully-programmed, closely-scheduled festival-style programming enables SNS to expand its on-stage forces to take on larger-scale works – and as the media release from SNS notes, “since much of Grieg and Sibelius’ symphonic music is written for larger orchestras, these works haven’t been heard in Halifax for years.”

The programs include a chamber music recital featuring SNS concertmaster Robert Uchida and pianist Peter Allen in works by Grieg and Sibelius, hosted by Gueller and former CBC host Adrian Hoffman; a sold-out concert of the music of Grieg, featuring pianist Jon Kimura Parker; and an all-Sibelius program with Australian-American violinist Adele Anthony, featuring the Violin Concerto and the composer’s lush Symphony #2.

With a recent gift of $500,000 from Halifax philanthropists Margaret and David Fountain, Symphony Nova Scotia’s Listen to the Future Endowment Campaign has just exceeded $5 million. “We are extremely grateful for the Fountains’ generosity,” says Dale Godsoe, Chair of Symphony Nova Scotia’s Listen to the Future Endowment Campaign. “Margaret and David have a long history of nurturing and inspiring the arts community; such a generous gift will have an impact on Nova Scotia for generations to come.”

These funds are stewarded by Symphony Nova Scotia Foundation, an independent endowment fund begun in 1992 to create a steady source of funding for Symphony Nova Scotia. Prior to the Campaign’s launch in 2008, the Foundation held $2.6 million in assets. Today, the Foundation stands at over $5 million, and when all the confirmed gifts, pledges and expected match grants are received, it will exceed $8 million.

“What this means is an annual source of stable, sustainable funding,” says Erika Beatty, CEO of Symphony Nova Scotia. “Today, the Foundation transfers more than $170,000 every year to help cover our annual costs, 72% of which are artistic and production costs. By the time the Campaign reaches completion, the amount provided by the Foundation will exceed $360,000 each year.