Niagara Symphony lives to play another day!

Sunday, June 10th was an important day for the Niagara Symphony, coming as it did as a sort of "decision day" for the future of the organization. Their month long fundraising drive would ultimately determine if the orchestra would survive to play for another season - their 60th - or they would go down to defeat, a victim of lack of funding for the arts.

The so-called "Celebration Concert" scheduled for that sunny, warm Sunday afternoon at Brock Centre for the Arts would indicate if the orchestra's optimistic concert title was fact or fiction. Fortunately for all concerned, it turned out to be fact. The orchestra played to an almost full theatre of regular subscribers and several newcomers - an important sign their message was getting out beyond their usual ranks. All in attendance were treated to some inspired playing and creative programming, ranging from one movement of Beethoven's "Pastoral" symphony to pop standards sung by the Mantini Sisters. There was literally something for everyone.

Before the musicians began to play, it was announced from the stage the orchestra - while falling short of their ambitious $ 500,000 fundraising goal, had so far raised one-fifth of that amount, which would go a long way to securing the future viability of the orchestra. It was felt sending out the positive signal the orchestra would indeed survive would secure more funding in the future, as other doners were indeed interested in helping out if the orchestra were to survive. The Sunday concert alone, a free event with donations accepted, netted the orchestra over $ 11,000 on that one day alone! That should help to put to rest the story Niagara is not ready to support an orchestra in the region.

If nothing else, this recent - and ongoing - fundraising initiative has shown management and musicians of the Niagara Symphony who their friends are, and there are many. Let's hope the orchestra does not have to go cap in hand to the public in such a public way again, but with the arts you never know. Fundraising efforts will be an ongoing project for the orchestra and that, I think is a good thing. You can never sit back and assume anything when you are running an arts organization, and that point was certainly driven home the last couple of months with the difficult decisions the orchestra board and staff had to make.

Will this result in a better, leaner and smarter Niagara Symphony? I hope so, and indeed I think so. Everyone - and every organization - needs a reality check once in a while, and the Niagara Symphony's reality check came this spring and summer.

If you want to attend their next concert, it is a traditional Canada Day concert on the afternoon of July 1st at the Market Square in downtown St. Catharines. Lot of other activities are planned but the focus will certainly be on the rejuvenated Niagara Symphony, living to play another day and well into their next 60 years!

Now, on to other things...the Shaw Festival season is in full swing at their three theatres in Niagara On The Lake, and I have already attended several performances. My star ratings will appear on the calendar page of my website, www.finemusic.ca shortly, and coming in July, I will share my thoughts on productions this summer at both the Shaw and the Stratford Festivals. So stay tuned...

Mike Saunders
June 21st, 2007