Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada

Archives: Resources

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Declaration

Attendees at Orchestras Canada’s national conference in 2016 asked OC to work with Canadian orchestras and external experts to frame best practices for Canadian orchestras in shaping their work in Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (aka IDEA).  Over the 2016-17 season, volunteers from the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony worked with OC staff to draft and refine the IDEA Declaration for Canadian Orchestras.  It was approved by the OC board in May 2017, and we now present it to the Canadian orchestral community for discussion and adoption.

An Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Declaration for Canadian Orchestras (printable pdf version)

An Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Declaration for Canadian Orchestras (Word version – customize for your orchestra’s unique context and brand as your own)

An audio recording of this session is available here.

Community Collaborations

Have you always wanted to make your performances and operations more accessible, but are not sure where to start? Or maybe you have already started, but looking to expand your knowledge on the subject? Are you interested in expanding the palette of artistic offerings that you bring to your community? Do you want to learn more about your organization’s legal obligations under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)?  

Orchestras Canada – in collaboration with Ontario Presents and Réseau Ontario, and in consultation with disability arts consultant Rachel Marks – is presenting six expert-led webinars titled EnAbling Change: Accessibility for the Performing Arts. Topics will include: An introduction to disability justice and accessibility legislation (specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act); marketing; venues; programming (for performers, workers AND audiences); and community collaboration and partnerships. 

May 3 & 6, 2022: Community Collaborations (Now complete)

Community collaborations are full of potential, though there are things you’ll want to think about before you embark. In this session, learn from artists and organizations about how to work with each other in ways that are mutually enriching and fulfilling…. and that generate great art! 

Speakers:

Erin Ball – Kingston Circus Arts and LEGacy Circus

Theatre Passe Muraille

Biographies of the speakers

Resources:

Erin Ball slide deck

Theatre Passe Muraille slide deck

Note: You will notice that we have edited out the full videos that Erin Ball shared during the webinar, and only kept brief previews: This is because of copyright, as those videos are still being sold. If you are interested in learning more about those videos, please contact Erin directly at [email protected]

Funded by:

Disability Justice & Programming (part 2) – Mobility Accessibility & People Management

Have you always wanted to make your performances and operations more accessible, but are not sure where to start? Or maybe you have already started, but looking to expand your knowledge on the subject? Are you interested in expanding the palette of artistic offerings that you bring to your community? Do you want to learn more about your organization’s legal obligations under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)?  

Orchestras Canada – in collaboration with Ontario Presents and Réseau Ontario, and in consultation with disability arts consultant Rachel Marks – is presenting six expert-led webinars titled EnAbling Change: Accessibility for the Performing Arts. Topics will include: An introduction to disability justice and accessibility legislation (specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act); marketing; venues; programming (for performers, workers AND audiences); and community collaboration and partnerships. 

April 19 & 22, 2022: Disability Justice & Programming (Part 2) – Mobility Accessibility and People Management (Now complete)

In the first portion of this session, we will revisit a Disability Justice framework for understanding accessibility. Then we will learn more about making the performing arts more welcoming to folks with mobility disabilities and dive deeper into how your organization can manage people, on and off stage, with accessibility front and center.

Speakers:

Ophira Calof – multi award winning writer and performer

Charlotte Jacob-Maguire – Universal Accessibility Coordinator at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

Sean Lee – Director of Programming at Tangled Art + Disability

Biographies of the speakers

Resources from the Webinar:

d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Blind or Partially Sighted Accessibility

Have you always wanted to make your performances and operations more accessible, but are not sure where to start? Or maybe you have already started, but looking to expand your knowledge on the subject? Are you interested in expanding the palette of artistic offerings that you bring to your community? Do you want to learn more about your organization’s legal obligations under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)?  

Orchestras Canada – in collaboration with Ontario Presents and Réseau Ontario, and in consultation with disability arts consultant Rachel Marks – is presenting six expert-led webinars titled EnAbling Change: Accessibility for the Performing Arts. Topics will include: An introduction to disability justice and accessibility legislation (specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act); marketing; venues; programming (for performers, workers AND audiences); and community collaboration and partnerships. 

March 29 & April 1, 2022: Programming (Part 1) – d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Blind or Partially Sighted Accessibility (Now complete)

This amazing panel of speakers will present on ways to make your programming accessible for d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Blind or Partially Sighted communities. You won’t want to miss it! (Audio description available at this session)

Speakers:

Natasha “Courage” Bacchus – 3 times Deaf Olympian Sprinter, actress

Kat Germain – professional Audio Describer/teacher, and actor/writer

Leah Riddell – bilingual Deaf entrepreneur, SignAble Vi5ion Inc.

Brooke Woboditsch – President and owner of Closed Caption Services (CCS)

Biographies of the speakers

Resources:

Brooke Woboditsch slide deck

Leah Riddel slide deck

Venue Accessibility and Venue Guides

Have you always wanted to make your performances and operations more accessible, but are not sure where to start? Or maybe you have already started, but looking to expand your knowledge on the subject? Are you interested in expanding the palette of artistic offerings that you bring to your community? Do you want to learn more about your organization’s legal obligations under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)?  

Orchestras Canada – in collaboration with Ontario Presents and Réseau Ontario, and in consultation with disability arts consultant Rachel Marks – is presenting six expert-led webinars titled EnAbling Change: Accessibility for the Performing Arts. Topics will include: An introduction to disability justice and accessibility legislation (specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act); marketing; venues; programming (for performers, workers AND audiences); and community collaboration and partnerships. 

March 8 & 11, 2022: Venue Accessibility and Venue Guides (Now complete)

Whether you own your venue or rent it, there are ways to ensure your space is more accessible. Hear from experts on how to assess, communicate, and put venue accessibility into practice. 

Speakers:

Alex Glass – ArtsBuild Ontario

Rachel Marks – Relaxed Performance Consultant and Disability Advocate

Biographies of the speakers

Resources:

Venue Accessibility (Alex Glass)

Venue Guides (Rachel Marks)

ArtsBuild Ontario Toolkit

The National Ballet of Canada Relaxed Performance

Toronto Symphony Orchestra Relaxed Performances

 

Funding provided by:

 

 

Marketing and Accessibility

Have you always wanted to make your performances and operations more accessible, but are not sure where to start? Or maybe you have already started, but looking to expand your knowledge on the subject? Are you interested in expanding the palette of artistic offerings that you bring to your community? Do you want to learn more about your organization’s legal obligations under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)?  

Orchestras Canada – in collaboration with Ontario Presents and Réseau Ontario, and in consultation with disability arts consultant Rachel Marks – is presenting six expert-led webinars titled EnAbling Change: Accessibility for the Performing Arts. Topics will include: An introduction to disability justice and accessibility legislation (specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act); marketing; venues; programming (for performers, workers AND audiences); and community collaboration and partnerships. 

February 22 & 25: Marketing and Accessibility (Now complete)

Marketing is essential to getting the word out about what we do, but are our messages accessible to all? These sessions will touch on important considerations and best practices for accessible marketing in the performing arts. 

Speaker:

Kristina McMullin – Tangled Art + Disability, Cripping Masculinity

Biography of the presenter

Resources: 

Kristina McMullin’s slide deck

Resources from Kristina

Resource on Plain Language — by Government of Canada (English)

The Noun Project — icon service

Glossary- Cripping Masculinity

Cripping the Arts Access Guide – by Tangled Arts + Disability (English)

More information about Crip Times podcast

 

          

 

Funding provided by:

Why Accessibility? An Introduction to the AODA and Disability Justice

Have you always wanted to make your performances and operations more accessible, but are not sure where to start? Or maybe you have already started, but looking to expand your knowledge on the subject? Are you interested in expanding the palette of artistic offerings that you bring to your community? Do you want to learn more about your organization’s legal obligations under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA)?  

Orchestras Canada – in collaboration with Ontario Presents and Réseau Ontario, and in consultation with disability arts consultant Rachel Marks – is presenting six expert-led webinars titled EnAbling Change: Accessibility for the Performing Arts. Topics will include: An introduction to disability justice and accessibility legislation (specifically, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act); marketing; venues; programming (for performers, workers AND audiences); and community collaboration and partnerships. 

February 8 & 11, 2022: Why Accessibility? An Introduction to the AODA and Disability Justice (Now complete)

In this introductory session, we’ll walk through the accessibility standards and requirements set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) — often considered the “gold standard” in Canadian accessibility legislation. Furthermore, you’ll learn about a Disability Justice framework for understanding accessibility.

Speakers:

Constance Exley – Accessibility Services Canada

Biographies of the presenters

Resources: 

Constance Exley’s slide deck

Business of Accessibility Handbook

Accessibility Services Canada AODA Resources

Video: Hidden Mobility Disabilities webinar from Accessibility Services Canada

Funding provided by:

 

Online Audiences Toolkit

With funding from the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund, OC has partnered with digital experts at The Space for an updated and all-Canadian version of the Online Audiences Toolkit!  It’s a useful, plain language guide to developing, sharing and assessing online content, with a blend of practical tips and gripping case studies featuring people and organizations we all know.

Download the Online Audiences Toolkit now! Fill out the form below and we’ll email you a download link:

Name(Required)

 

Case study participants:

Mark Turner, CEO and Creative Producer, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra

Jean-Frédéric Caron, Executive Director, Orchestre de l’Agora

Ronald Royer, Music Director & Producer, SPOGreatMusic Digital Content, and Devin Scott, Executive Director & Executive Producer/Editor of SPOGreatMusic Digital Content, Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra

Daniel Mills, Executive Director, Kamloops Symphony Orchestra

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Canada council for the arts logo

ArtsBoost Fundamentals of Digital Marketing & Fundraising on-demand course

We are excited to announce the launch of the ArtsBoost Fundamentals of Digital Marketing & Fundraising on-demand course!
This free course covers fundamental concepts of digital marketing and fundraising for the arts. It presents a high-level view of what arts administrators need to consider when creating digital plans. You’ll learn relevant strategic principles across the main set of digital tools at your disposal, including: search marketing, digital advertising, websites and apps, email and messaging, and social media & content. Understand the basics of how digital channels and tactics contribute to marketing and fundraising in the arts, with instructor Tim Dolan of Kickframe.
You can also complement your learning by revisiting these webinars:

ArtsBoost, a project of The Arts Firm is a platform dedicated to modern skills developments for the arts. Project Partners are: Orchestras Canada, Canadian Dance Assembly (CDA), Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, CAPACOA and Association for Opera in Canada.
This project is made possible with generous funding from the Canada Council for the Arts | Conseil des arts du Canada
Canada council for the arts logo

Comparative Report 2020-21

 

Summaries by Budget Size and Regions  

Each year, Orchestras Canada collects financial and audience information from member orchestras and produces a Comparative Report. This Report is shared among participating orchestras and used for advocacy and ongoing research.  The 2020-21 Comparative Report contains information from 73 orchestras, including all member orchestras with budgets over $1.5 million, and almost all orchestras which historically have budgets over $50,000. 

The summaries are compiled using information in the Comparative Report. They provide an overview of the Canadian orchestra industry for the 2020-21, consolidated by budget size and by regions. 

Percentages are calculated in two ways: 1) based on the aggregate totals, and 2) “averages-of-percentages” using the individually calculated percentages for each of the 73 participating orchestra. The “average-of-percentages” approach is useful when considering relatively small samples of organizations of disparate size and scope, especially in the Summary by Regions. Percentages based on the aggregate totals are useful when considering larger samplings. We find both sets of percentages useful. 

We continue to report “Cost per audience contact” (CPAC) calculations in the Summaries, at the bottom of each column. Given the impact of the pandemic on orchestra activities, the value of this calculation is questionable. That said: this tool may be of interest to individual organizations for assessing business efficiency compared to other orchestras.

 

Summaries of Summaries: 2018-19 to 2020-21 by Budget Size and Regions   

COVID-19’s dramatic impact on orchestras began in March 2020 with the shutting down of performance venues. Despite the quick pivot to various forms of online presentations, the 2019-20 financial and attendance numbers came in well below results from the 2018-19 season.    

2020-21 was a fully COVID-affected season. The vast majority of orchestras pivoted to online activity almost exclusively. Consequently the 2018-19 aggregate live audience of 2,843,000 collapsed to 53,000 in 2020-21; a drop of 98%!      

As a companion to these documents, here are two Summaries of Summaries: by Budget and by Regions. They contain quickly absorbable numbers for 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. Percentages of change relate only to 2018-19 and 2020-21 (2019-20 was only a halfway-house.)   

72 orchestras routinely participate in Comparative Report process. In 2020-21, a new participant came on board; a mid-sized operation, near the median point in the detailed Report. It was easier to include this orchestra in summary calculations rather than exclude. Hence the Summaries of Summaries show 73 orchestras for 2020-21. 

We continue to retain Budget categories that we have always used: over $5 million; between $1 million and $5 million, etc. In the Summary of Summaries – Budget Size, observe the “Number of orchestras” line across the top. This quickly highlights the dramatic drop in budget sizes right across the board.  

Historically, orchestras’ budgets are fairly close-to-balanced. This was NOT so in 2020-21. Nationally, Revenue outstripped Expenses by 12%. (A reminder: for purposes of comparative reporting we calculate “budget size” as the average of total revenues and total expenses for each orchestra.)      

It’s fair to say: in 2018-19 there wasn’t much Canadian orchestra online performance activity – at least, not enough for us to try and keep track. In the spring of 2020, we observed a huge “online” burst. We tried to collect numbers from you, but were hard pressed to define appropriate parameters for tabulation. This is why the report shows online numbers for 2019-20 as “Unverified”.  By 2020-21 we were more up to speed. However the “% Changes” in this section should only be interpreted as rough estimates. At best, these percentages only indicate significant growth, year to year.     

We expect readers will find these two Summaries of Summaries fascinating. In all the years that we have been preparing the present iteration of the Comparative Report, we never expected to see numbers like this. We commend these documents to you for vigorous discussion in your organization.  

There is one overarching reality in all these numbers that should not (dare we say must not) be ignored. Orchestras in Canada are continuing to function thanks to direct generous intervention by governments at many levels.  For recipient organizations, appropriate and meaningful acknowledgement and thanks is mandatory politeness at the very least, not to mention political astuteness.     

The future 

If you are part of an orchestral organization, you will be reading this halfway through your 2021-22 season (or later). A year ago, none of us had heard of Omicron. Today, it’s part of everyday conversation. Our COVID troubles are far from over; but more concerts are occurring in concert halls than this time last year, and we can hope.  

We look forward to collecting results for this present season starting in October of 2022. We suspect that the 3-year Summaries of Summaries will grow to a 4-year report; and we have hopes for a 5th year that looks something like 2018-19.  

General disclaimer 

We produce these Summaries using straightforward information and commonly accepted definitions, avoiding subjective judgments as much as possible. The accuracy of the Summaries is dependent primarily on the accuracy of information provided by the 73 participating orchestras, followed by accurate transfer of information to the master spreadsheets. If you note significant errors, please let us know. 

Respectfully submitted
Stephen Smith (Statistician, Orchestras Canada)
February 2022