WSO Annual Report – 2008/2009 Season W I N N I P E G S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A A l e x a n d e r M i c k e l t h w a t e , M u s i c D i r e c t o r YYOOUURR CCIITTYY.. YYOOUURR SSOOUUNNDD.. YYOOUURR SSYYMMPPHHOONNYY.. 22 00 00 88 .. 00 99 SS EE AA SS OO NN ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS July 15, 2009 4:00 pm | The Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation | Piano Nobile level | 555 Main Street | Winnipeg Manitoba 1 A l e x a n d e r M i c k e l t h w a t e , M u s i c D i r e c t o r 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 Community Leadership Organizational Strength Innovation Stewardship Inclusion Entrepreneurship Respect Collaboration WSO Annual Report – 2008/2009 Season MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dorothy Dobbie I am happy to report that this has been another wonderful year and that we are very pleased that our team – the orchestra, the administration and the board – has been able to pull together and produce a number of firsts again this year. The highlight, and there were several, was the first Annual Indigenous Festival in April. Our curator, Andrew Balfour in collaboration with Eagle and Hawk and Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate, did a wonderful job in producing what was truly a magical week – the first event of its kind where our two cultures came together to create something new and exciting. We are thrilled with its success and Alexander and folks from the Aboriginal community are already hard at work, planning an even bigger event next year. I’d like to thank the minister, the Hon. Eric Robinson, for his support and encouragement. And I hear Vince Fontaine has a new career, planning gigs with other orchestras now that he has the orchestration for his music! Way to go, Vince. I would also like to congratulate composer in residence, Vincent Ho, on a successful and innovative New Music Festival last season and winning CBC’s People’s Choice award for his composition, Nature Whispers. Another highlight was the launch last September of our very own radio show, Musically Speaking, courtesy of CJOB. It is hosted by Maestro Alexander Mickelthwate and Trudy Schroeder, our hardworking executive director and together they have created a growing audience. I’d like to thank Trudy and Alexander who do this for us on a volunteer basis and I’d especially like to thank CJOB Manager Garth Buchko and news director Vic Grant for their faith in us and for giving us this opportunity. I believe that this is the first orchestra in North America to host such a weekly show. A third highlight was the world premiere of the “I Believe” concert to mark the Holocaust, produced in conjunction with Zane Zalis and the Jewish community of Winnipeg. I’d especially like to mention the support of Arnold Freeman of Advance Electronics, who worked so tirelessly to make the event a huge success. We send our best wishes for success to Zane as he markets the concert around the world. The annual conductor’s symposium was another hit this year. It helped us to choose a new resident conductor, Richard Lee, who you will meet this fall. Richard Lee, who is a Canadian from the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, will 2 WSO Annual Report – 2008/2009 Season replace the popular Rei Hotoda, who completed her term with us this spring and who has gone to work with the Dallas Symphony. In addition to these special highlights, we had several sold-out concerts in Winnipeg this year. Our audience in Brandon is once again growing. I am happy to report that, over all, our seat sales are up 10% over last year, so everyone is clearly doing something right. I would like to acknowledge and thank our funders, the Canada Council, Canadian Heritage, the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, Arts Stabilization Manitoba Inc., the Winnipeg Foundation and our many private sector donors, including IMRIS, the Scotia Bank and the Richardson Foundation. The Women’s committee, under the able leadership of President Lesia Peet, has made a huge contribution as always and it is much appreciated. Thank you as well to all our volunteers. Of all the good news about this year, the best is that we produced an operating surplus of $18,000 in spite of the difficult economy. This is a credit to our hard working and dedicated team including our musicians, our board and our administration. The musicians and the maestro receive credit for their always excellent musical presentations; the Board for both its direction and its fundraising efforts; and our administration, led by Trudy Schroeder, for being the glue that holds everything together and makes good decisions about managing the operation. Finally, I would like to congratulate Bill and Shirley Loewen for their appointment as our directors emeriti. I would also like to announce the formation of the President’s Advisory Committee and to congratulate those who have been appointed to this body. This committee will be made up of members who have been of service to the WSO over the years and will recognize the wisdom and experience they have still to contribute. Thank you all for your continued support and confidence in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Dorothy Dobbie President & Chair, Board of Directors 3 WSO Annual Report – 2008/2009 Season MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Trudy Schroeder As I try to consider the past year in an overall picture, I have a sense of a remarkable kaleidoscope of people, programs, music, opportunities, triumphs and challenges. The overarching impression I am left with is of an organization of remarkable versatility. The WSO very clearly has a desire to serve its community in new and innovative ways while also firmly being connected to and committed to the traditions and artistic richness of past generations of symphonic musical creation. From the planning, preparations and learning process of the 2008 summer season to the intensity and unrelenting pace of the fall and winter season, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has become a remarkable shape shifting organization that reconfigures and deploys with astounding versatility. The musicians and administrative staff with the direction, support and oversight of the board of directors change focus and move from one program to other forms many times over the course of the year. From 20 th anniversary concerts at the Forks through a fully engaged series of education programs to film presentations ranging from Joan of Arc through to The Bear. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival in itself provides more concerts and more variation of program than many music organizations are able to deliver in one full year of programming. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra delivers incredible value to its community through commitment to youth and education, to outreach and inclusion, and to maintaining a strong symphonic presence in Manitoba’s rural communities. The most important measure of our success as an organization is our ability to return value to the community that supports and provides a home for this institution. The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra provides this value to the community in multiple and measurable forms. The WSO welcomed hundreds of excited young people to full participation in an extraordinary performance of Carmina Burana in our Rising Stars concert program in February and performed in dozens of schools and hospitals and day care centres. Throughout the year there have been a whole series of firsts for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and I believe that is a measure of the full intention to take every step necessary to be fully relevant and engaged in its community. Noteworthy first ventures include the first Indigenous Festival, the Rising Stars program, the I Believe project, the Musically Speaking radio program on CJOB, the baroque series in conjunction with Virtuosi Concerts and the summer series. Continuing commitment to innovation exists in our 18 th New Music Festival, the 2nd International Conducting Symposium, the second annual spring gala, and the series of house concerts that were held during the year. 4 WSO Annual Report – 2008/2009 Season Overall, the sheer volume and intensity of the WSO’s year is somewhat astonishing. In this, my first season on the staff of the WSO, I have been so thankful for the hard work and competence of a dedicated administrative staff, the support and guidance of the board of directors, the generosity and commitment of the volunteers, sponsors, donors, funders and patrons of the WSO, and the truly wonderful opportunity to work with the charming and talented Alexander Mickelthwate and talented musicians of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. At the close of this 61 st season of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra we can proudly say that we have served our community well, advanced the art form, and truly been connected in the most important ways with an ongoing tradition of great music and musicians in Manitoba.