Annual Report for the Annual General Meeting of Members
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20112012 SEASON Annual Report for the Annual General Meeting of Members JULY 12, 2012 4:00 PM I CENTENNIAL CONCERT HALL I PIANO NOBILE LEVEL 555 MAIN STREET I WINNIPEG, MANITOBA 1 I WSO Annual Report – 2011-2012 Season Photo: Keith Levit Photography TABLE OF CONTENTS WSO Mission, 2020 Vision, Strategies and Values ................ 3 Message from the WSO President and Chair ...................... 4 Message from the WSO Executive Director ..........................5 Message from the WSO Music Director .............................. 6 2011 – 2012 Season Highlights .......................................... 7 Artistic & Community Partnerships .................................... 9 Education Programs.......................................................... 10 Outreach Programs .......................................................... 12 Tour Report...................................................................... 13 2011 Indigenous Festival .................................................. 14 2012 New Music Festival.................................................... 15 Financial Report .............................................................. 16 WSO Sponsors, Funders and Acknowledgements .............. 20 WSO Supporters .............................................................. 21 Volunteer Resources ........................................................ 26 Governance ...................................................................... 27 WSO Golden Baton Recipients.......................................... 28 Presidents of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra .............. 28 President’s Advisory Council ............................................ 29 WSO Staff ........................................................................ 29 WSO Musicians ................................................................ 30 WSO Annual Report – 2011-2012 Season I 2 Adventures in Music Photo: Chronic Creative MISSION To provide exceptional musical experiences for Manitobans 2020 VISION • The WSO will be an internationally recognized model of artistic excellence and community relevance • Structural pillars that include: • Excellent musicians • Innovative programs • Strong leadership • Diversified revenue streams • Solid financial foundation STRATEGIES FOR 2008-2013 • To build the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s governance, artistic, and operational capacity • To build the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s community (artists and audience) through education and outreach • To identify and deliver expanded opportunities to bring music into people’s lives • To enhance the ability of musicians to live and thrive in the community VALUES Artistic Excellence Organizational Strength Community Leadership Innovation Stewardship Inclusion Entrepreneurship Respect Collaboration 3 I WSO Annual Report – 2011-2012 Season I leave with a sense of accomplishment bolstered by a feeling of confidence in the leadership of the future. It has been my pleasure to serve you. - Dorothy Dobbie, President & Chair MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CHAIR I am pleased to announce that the WSO is now free of all debt and ends this year with a small surplus of just over $22,000. The Board has mandated the management to budget for a surplus of two percent of total revenue in coming years and management has pledged to work towards that goal. The orchestra, for the benefit of its audience, will dedicate such surplus revenues to continued stabilization and artistic growth. This important freedom from debt allows the orchestra to move forward, building on its accomplishments of the past 65 years. Maintaining this freedom of action is predicated on strong board leadership and continued good management practices, focused on artistic excellence delivered in a financially responsible manner. To support our excellent musicians, we now have a strong management team, a popular and dedicated music director and a competent and experienced board of directors. We have transitioned our Pops series from the 30s and 40s to the 60s, 70s and 80s with great success, attracting younger audiences. We want to continue to build our New Music Festival, develop our Indigenous Festival and continue with a masterful classical series. Relevance to today’s audience is part of our mandate and to that end, we are very proud of the 2012 New Music Festival, which was organized in co-operation with the Icelandic Community. This is an example of our commitment to engage at the community level. We recognize the importance of those who have served the WSO and we now have a President’s Advisory Council filled with board members of the past. We also recognize community and music leaders at our annual Spring gala. This year, I was honoured to serve as the Chair of the 15th Annual Canadian Arts Summit, a tribute to the respect that the WSO has earned. We have also been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in the spring of 2014. This fall, we expect to receive the final installment of $100,000 in working capital from Arts Stabilization Manitoba, providing us with a total of $500,000 of working capital and absolving us of the need for government guarantees or a line of credit at the bank. This year we have resolved several important agreements that will take us through the next four years in an atmosphere of stability and growth. Music director Alexander Mickelthwate has signed an agreement to continue with the orchestra until 2016 and executive director Trudy Schroeder has also been engaged for another term. We have ratified an agreement with our musicians for the same term. This allows us to move forward with confidence as I step down after five years as president and chair of the Board. I leave with a sense of accomplishment bolstered by a feeling of confidence in the leadership of the future. It has been my pleasure to serve you. Dorothy Dobbie President & Chair, Board of Directors WSO Annual Report – 2011-2012 Season I 4 “Dust off the Dress” event MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR When we come to the end of a WSO season, it seems natural to look back at all of the elements that have to come together to create a successful year. The WSO is fortunate in the depth and richness of the talents of its musicians, board members, volunteers, supporting community and administrative staff. With each year, we try some new things, build new partnerships, reach new goals, and work with the community in different ways. This year I am particularly thankful for the success we had in a number of areas: We opened our season with a special event for our Soundcheck members, and we had young people dress in their special occasion clothing and celebrate with us following the concert. Membership went from 350 people to just under 1000 members in the last 12 Photo: Chronic Creative months. This year we were able to successfully conclude collective agreement negotiations with WSO musicians in a contract that will be in place from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2016. The good faith and good discussions that were very much in evidence during the negotiations are major factors in helping the WSO to continue to experience success. The WSO was also very pleased to be selected for participation in the 2014 Spring for Music Festival at Carnegie Hall. This is an opportunity for the WSO to be presented within an international festival that celebrates creative programming and innovation in orchestras. In partnership with Seven Oaks School Division, the WSO launched Sistema Winnipeg at Elwick Community School. This intensive program of music instruction uses the services of WSO musicians as instructors, and the children are involved with WSO performances, performers and special events. We saw significant growth in attendance at our Concerts for Kids series on Sunday afternoons, and audiences grew as well for our SoundBytes series and our New Music Festival. We are proud of the range of projects we develop in partnership with the community, and this trend continues to grow as we extend our connections in the community. We are also very grateful for the contribution that Dorothy Dobbie has made during her years as president and chair of the WSO Board. She has served as chair for five years, and this stability in this key leadership position has aided the WSO tremendously in our efforts to provide a strong working base. This is just a fraction of what it takes to pull together a winning WSO season. Our achievements are a testament to the contributions and talents of many individuals. We look forward to continued growth and success in the coming year. Trudy Schroeder Executive Director 5 I WSO Annual Report – 2011-2012 Season Our achievements are a testament to the contributions and talents of many individuals. We look forward to continued growth and success in the coming year. - Trudy Schroeder, Executive Director MESSAGE FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR Last season your Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra continued to make significant strides over the season, not only in the quality of its programs, the management of its operation but in particular, the connection with its audiences. Our Masterworks series presented such well-known classics as Dvorˇák’s Eighth Symphony, Sibelius’s Second Symphony and a season-closing performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony that I was especially proud of since so many audience members not only responded to our performances, but were newly enlightened and inspired by this great composer whose music we program so regularly. Our soloists did themselves proud. Eminent pianist Horacio Gutierrez opened the season Photo: Keith