PEI Symphony back from financial brink

A year ago the PEI Symphony was considering shutting down when it wasfaced with mounting debt and an uncertain future. But this year, thefuture is more allegro than finale.

"We had to make some fairly major changes to our operation," board president Bruce Craig told Island Morning Tuesday.

"This is an activist board, quite frankly and people do want to get involved."

Last April,the board turned to crowdfunding to help it wipe out $10,000 in bills.

• PEI Symphony turns to crowdfunding to keep afloat

There is still an operational debt to clear up, but things are better financially than they were.

The board alsomadecost saving changes such as moving from the Confederation Centre of the Arts to Zion Presbyterian Church.

"The Confed Centre is the second most expensive venue to rent on a Sunday afternoon in all of Canada," explained Craig.

The only concert of season to be presented at the Confederation Centre will be the annual pops concert. The show,featuring local popular music artists, usually draws a bigger crowd than the usual symphonic works.

Craig said other costs such as the need to fly in the musical director from the United States and paying visiting soloists in American dollars are unavoidable, but will be watched closely.

The board was also able to secure provincial funding to hire a coordinator and redevelop its website. The new site will be bilingual and is positioned to be a clearinghouse of information on all classical music events happening on the Island.

The new staff member and website will be unveiled during Sunday's finale concert of the season.

Craigsaid a newcrowdfunding campaign began this week, with the annual fundraising citrus sale and masquerade ball also helping raise funds.

Immigrants to the Island are also helping the numbers of patrons attending the various concerts.While the paid subscription hovers around 250, Craig said more people are attending the performances.

"Because of our rising number of immigrants, particularly the Chinese immigrant community, we're finding there's larger numbers of immigrants coming to attend the concerts there as well," said Craig.

• Hear the full Island Morning interview with Bruce Craig

Preparing for 2017

The PEI Symphony is also programming into 2017, with an additional concert planned and the expectation that money for the 150th anniversary of Canada will be available. It will also be the symphony's 50th anniversary, said Craig.

"The National Arts Centre Orchestra is going to be visiting. And we're hoping to see them in May."

A special concert will be held next fall to honour 50 years of the PEI Symphony. It began playing in the fall of 1967 and has continued to rely on a combination of full and part-time musicians from all walks of life and different areas of the Maritimes to keep the music alive.