A teacher tells a room full of young musicians: if you’re serious about an orchestral career, you need “x.” “X” could be almost anything; a better instrument, a specific piece of equipment, or an incredible opportunity. A student who has “x” turns to the student beside them, who doesn’t, and asks, without malice, “why don’t you have ‘x’?” The answer: “I can’t afford […] The post Who Gets to Be a…
Halifax, Canada (25/9/2025) – Yvonne DeRoller, long-time Symphony Nova Scotia violist, educator and musician advocate, is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2025. 🎥 Watch the Award Announcement Video on YouTube! Yvonne DeRoller was nominated by former Symphony Nova Scotia Music Director Holly Mathieson. The award celebrates Yvonne’s contribution to Canadian […] The post…
By Boran Zaza, Director of Communications & Development at Orchestras Canada. During my (ongoing!) master’s in management studies at HEC Montréal, I learned about the “Baumol cost disease.” – Sounds scary, I know…! The core idea is that in certain sectors, like live music, productivity gains are inherently limited. You can’t exactly speed up a […] The post Fundraising in Times of Uncertainty: What…
By Boran Zaza, Director of Communications & Development at Orchestras Canada. I’m not going to lie: I am a big fan of AI, and of all the ways it has streamlined my workflow as a one-person Communications and Development Department. From tailoring social media copy for different platforms to extracting complex donor data from spreadsheets, AI […] The post Engaging Audiences Digitally & Using AI…
Calgary, Canada (24/9/2024) – Heather Wootton, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s Assistant Principal Horn is the winner of the Orchestras Canada Betty Webster Award for 2024. 🎥 Watch the Award Announcement Video on YouTube! Heather Wootton was nominated by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. The award celebrates Heather’s contribution to Canadian orchestras through her career-long commitment and…
An interview with expert orchestra photographer Tam Lan Truong By Boran Zaza If you attended our last Rendez-vous des orchestres du Québec, then you will have seen an energetic, enthusiastic, friendly photographer roaming around the room smiling to everyone, capturing different moments of the event with great discretion and professionalism (some shared below). Tam Lan Truong has […] The post The…
By Rheena Suter* No matter the size, location, or mission of your orchestra, auditions are critical for finding the best talent available to you. Not only do you gain an understanding of each prospective performer’s musical abilities, but they also get a taste of what it’ll be like to play in your orchestra, which will […] The post 4 Tips for Effective Orchestra Audition Management appeared first…
By Boran Zaza, Director of Communications & Development at Orchestras Canada. It’s been three months since I returned from Berlin, where I attended Classical:NEXT (C:N), the world’s largest global gathering of art music professionals. I went to many conference sessions focused on orchestras, mainly on the topics of Innovative Leadership Models, Environmental Sustainability in Orchestras, and […]…
By Boran Zaza, Director of Communications & Development at Orchestras Canada. From May 13 to 17, 2024, I attended Classical:NEXT in Berlin, Germany. This is part 2 of a series of 3 blog posts titled “What I learned at Classical:NEXT” You can read part 1 here: Innovative leadership models in Orchestras Small Changes: Great Impact […] The post Environmental Sustainability in Orchestras: What I…
By Boran Zaza, Director of Communications & Development at Orchestras Canada. Classical:NEXT (C:N) is the largest global gathering of art music professionals. Traditionally, it has taken place in different European cities each year — as of 2024, C:N has made Berlin, Germany its permanent home. C:N features conference sessions, showcases, meetups and project pitches. Over 1400 […] The post…
