The Next Step

“If all the musicians in Europe performed as you did today, there would be peace on Earth.” – Anonymous listener at NewBO’s premiere, 2/9/15

On September 2nd, my most important project to date came to fruition. As part of the Utrecht Oude Muziek Festival’s Fabulous Fringe series, NewBO (The New Baroque Orchestra) celebrated its premiere performance with a program of English music from the middle of the 18th century. As administrator and co-director of this project, a lot has rested on my shoulders over the past few months and I can’t tell you the feeling I had when we stepped onto that stage in the Hertz room at the TivoliVredenburg.

NewBO was conceived in the bar of the Hôtel des Ardennes in Echternach, Luxembourg, almost two years ago. After hours of discussion, as well as a few more weeks on tour, it was clear that a fire was lit. Following two seasons as EUBO, our desire to play together burned ever stronger. After our final tour to Malta I began preparing the materials for our Utrecht debut.

Westboro Bookstore Calling for Classical Music

Following a number of successful open-mic nights at a Westboro bookstore, which included classical music acts, the owners have decided to take a step further. Collected Works Bookstore & Coffeebar, on the Southwest corner of Wellington and Holland, is hoping to put on a series of genre-specific concerts, including those of classical music.

"We're looking for musicians to hold events here who would be the primary promoters and organizers," says Craig Poile of CW, "although we can add to the organization and promotion, I don't know if we have the resources at this point." Being a classical music lover himself, Craig looks forward to working with local musicians.

The call for events comes as a great opportunity for musicians to get their feet wet at organizing and promoting a show. "We would provide the venue and a staff person... [and leave it up] to the musicians to decide the format [of the evening]," says Craig.

Thank you Craig!

Serious enquiries can be sent to info@collected-works.com

Breaking Winds Crowd-Funding First Album

The Breaking Winds, the world's most famous bassoon quartet (I'm making that up, or am I?), have decided to fund their upcoming debut CD, 'Breaking In', through Kickstarter. They plan for their disk to include both original arrangements and compositions. Check out all the details HERE. Or take a look at the video below... or both.

The Tempest in a Teapot Turns 10

Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Philadelphia, second largest city on the eastern sea board and home to a busy music scene.

Though most of the attention has recently been drawn towards the Philadelphia Orchestra, the local baroque orchestra has some news of its own.  Celebrating its tenth birthday this season, Tempesta di Mare will be offering four concerts over two weekends in March as part of its "opus 10" celebrations. The concerts will feature works which have been catalogued by the number 10, such as Vivaldi's op. 10, Bach's BWV 1010, Leclair's op. 10, and so on.

One of the youngest period orchestras in North America today, the little tempest in a tea pot has developed a strong following in the city, seeing a budget increase of 1000% since its conception. The two directors, flutist Gwyn Robinson and Lutenist Richard Stone, have worked hard to see their project successful. "For a number of years," says Gwyn, "Robert and I volunteered our time to get all of the work done behind the scenes." Today, the orchestra has a full-time staff member and four other part-timers (of which two are the directors) who do all of the administrative work. "It's nice to have people we can trust [with this work]!" notes Gwyn. It must also be nice being paid for it, too.

I saw the Angel in the Marble...

Pygmalion and Galatea by Jean-Léon Gérôme

New baroque opera company to present inaugural performance April 13 and 14, at the Rialto Theatre, Montreal.

...and carved until I set it free.


It seems Montreal is never short of enterprising artists. 

Next week, the Collectif Baroque Mont-Royal will present its first production, complete with baroque orchestra: Rameau's acte de ballet, Pygmalion. An ambitious undertaking for the two directors, David Menzies and Susan Toman, who have been chipping away since the summer; Pygmalion will be fully-staged and will be accompanied by its own baroque orchestra.

Inside Out: People Power

In this first article in theheckeler.ca's "Inside Out" series, Marion Harrington, clarinetist, guest blogs.


People Power: The Reasons Why Marketing is an Ensemble’s Collective Responsibility - No Exceptions!

Should you care to trawl through history, you’ll find numerous examples of the importance of connection:

• English poet John Donne (1572-1631) wrote “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main”
• The Russian revolution in the early 20th century did not come about as the result of the actions of  an individual
• And since the invention of the Internet, no lasting change has ever been achieved by a single web site orbiting alone in cyber-space

Similarly, deciding to leave all public relations and marketing to one person, you may be a member of the the most talented classical music groups this side of the Orion Nebula but you’ll find that the ensemble’s opportunities and, ultimately, its success is going to be severely limited.

Change is Natural

Happy New Year from theheckeler.ca! 

January 1st, 2012. In my mind, the first day of the transition which faces the classical music industry. Over the past few seasons, we have seen a slew of north american orchestras apply for chapter 7 bankruptcy (Syracuse, Honolulu, New Mexico) as well as chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization (Philadelphia, Louisville), and, more recently, onlookers as well as active participants in the industry have spent their time asking the question, is there a crisis in classical music? 

Andy's Handy Hints: Timeraiser

Last week I read an article in The Globe and Mail about Vancouver's Waldorf hotel. The hotel, which has become a cultural centre for the city's youth (by youth I mean under-35s), has been taken over by the art community and turned into an all-purpose venue of sorts. You can read the article here.


What caught my attention was a description of a 'timeraiser' taking part at the Waldorf by a political campaign "where attendees bid time instead of money for items such as Science World passes and Burlesque dance lessons"(TGaM, Oct. 28, 2011)... Isn't that a fantastic idea?

The to-do list for ensemble OVO is quite long, and each task often requires a different 'hat', or skill set, in order for it to be completed. Imagine having someone with an accountant hat, or a grant writing hat working with you...


Unfortunately for a new ensemble, it may be hard to find items valuable enough for people to want to bid hours of their time to win. A free in-house concert could be a real winner, but there must also be some non music-related items that might spark interest. 


Anyways, 


Think about it!


More of Andy's Handy Hints can be found here

No News is Bad News

An article on the Thirteen Strings was published in the Ottawa Citizen yesterday and I couldn't help but to be reminded of the serious challenges there are to the music scene in ottawa.

Last week my ensemble, Ensemble Our Very Own, had its first public concert (sponsored by Ars Nova) on period instruments. Two excellent baroque flutists from Toronto as well as our soprano Anna-Sophie from Montreal came to perform with two other locals and I in a special program of French music from the 17th and 18th centuries.

What was an excellent concert and week of rehearsals was marred by poor support from the local media and a smaller-than-expected, albeit very supportive and enthusiastic, audience. What did the Citizen cover instead? The Ottawa Choral Society's African Sanctus. Needless to say, I took a hit financing the show.

Rare is the occasion for more than three concerts of classical music to occur on one Friday evening, two is common as the NACO performs most weekends,  therefore a conflict is unavoidable. What am I saying!? YOU (if you're reading from out of town) have a CHOICE of what you want to go see every weekend! Why should there even be a discussion about scheduling conflicts in a city of 1 million+ people? And let's get real, classical music production companies in Ottawa, we are not fighting over the same 1000 concert-goers on a given evening. Ottawa is a grown-up city and it can handle more than two concerts at a time.

Let's say one percent of Ottawa's population is interested in classical music concerts - that's ten thousand people. The problem is that only one percent of the population that is aware of the concert in question is going to be interested in it. Unfortunately, there is no way to make every person living in the region aware of an event, not without a few million dollars at least. So you can understand the necessity of print article for an up-and-coming group, such as the OVO, in Ottawa.

And now to the point. When you, the arts columnist, see a group of young, extremely talented musicians performing in a premiere concert of music rarely heard in the city; would you see it as much more newsworthy than a bunch of old fogies singing a piece they've performed several times before?

Andy's Handy Hints for your Ensemble, Part 2

Continuing from part 1 of Andy's Handy Hints

Find a Home Venue 

A church is often the cheapest place and not a bad acoustic either. Pay attention to the average attendance and think about downsizing if necessary. Some friends of mine, the group Flute Alors! Have been performing in a hall that seats about 80. Not exactly huge, but it always looks well-attended.

Plan the Future of Your Ensemble

What kind of service will you provide for the community. Make all of your goals clear and give timelines for specific projects you have in mind.

Establish a Board of Governors

Once a few concerts have been performed and your group is energised about the future, find three well-connected supporters who will herald your successes to the community. Speak to them about your plans and, if they show excitement, ask them if they might be interested in taking a leadership role with the ensemble (I.e. joining a board of governors). You'll need a president, secretary, and treasurer. The treasurer will be extremely important and helpful in future grant-writing. Make clear the purpose of the board from the beginning in order to avoid any stress later.

Incorporate as a Non-Profit or Charitable Organisation

A charitable organisation has 501(c)3 status in the States. This is very important as it opens your group up to more granting agencies as well as allowing you to issue tax-deductible receipts to donors.

Andy's Handy Hints for your Ensemble, Part 1

Starting an ensemble can be a ton of work. What am I saying? It is a ton of work. Though just getting your friends in one place for rehearsals and booking a venue may seem like enough, if you wish for your group to really become a staple to your community's entertainment diet, a few things need to be done. 

I've started Andy's Handy Hints to give you some ideas to get you started. 

Have a Blog or Website

In this digital era, there are millions of missed opportunities for a small group without any online presence. Facebook, twitter, and myspace are all free ways to connect with potential fans, other ensembles, critics....etc. When opened the @ensembleovo twitter account almost immediately there as a buzz going, I even got an interview with a reporter from La Scena Musicale from it! Get out there and raise awareness.

Have a Graphic that will be the Face of the Ensemble

Even if it doesn't have the group members in it, make sure it gives the viewer something to grab hold of. Of course, be careful with what you use, make sure it's appropriate to the type of entertainment you want to put on.

Make Clear Who Your Permanent Members Are

Something we'll be experimenting with this year. Make sure that you appreciate what your fellow musicians bring to the ensemble and make sure you enjoy their company in and outside of rehearsal.

Open an Ensemble Bank Account

This will make things much easier at tax time.

Perform Three Concerts a Season, Minimum

Most granting agencies (especially 'gateway granters') require ensembles to be 'active' for a certain amount of seasons. An 'active' year often means a minimum of three to four concerts a season.

You can read part 2, here

Entrepreneurship not just a necessity, it's good for you too.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to watch a recital by Olivier Brauld, accompanied by Melisande Corriveau and Eric Milnes, focusing on the very beginnings of the French violin sonata. The list of composers included de Visée, Rebel, de la Guerre, Clérambault, Mascitti, as well as others. It was an excellent performance, and well narrated too! -It was very nice to hear French and English used interchangeably without any repetition.

After the concert I had a long chat with Eric Milnes about my prospects for grad school which proved quite fruitful. Eric had a great piece of advice for me, he preluded with a special pose and said "This is the best piece of advice I can give  you, are you ready for it?". He said that having your own projects were essential to a career in music. Not only if you had a problematic personality - which, by having your own group, would be challenged by personality conflicts, developing a good business practice, etc. - but even just for the fact that you'll feel more satified when seeing your own work come to fruition.

He couldn't be more right.