November 2022 Newsletter
HELLO FESTIVAL FAMILY!
Welcome to the November edition of our monthly newsletter! In this issue, you will find a message from President Cathy Ballantyne, information about our November Nights virtual concert series, exciting news about our upcoming Music Scores session, details about Parry Sound’s Girlfriends’ Weekend and our participation in it, and an interview with one of our featured artists for our first November Nights concert, Silvie Cheng!
FROM THE PRESIDENT
My friend: “I assume all you board members have more time on your hands now that the Festival is over for this year.”
Me *in my head*: “Sister, you have nooooo idea!”
Me out loud: “Well, actually, staff, Board members, and community volunteers of the Festival of the Sound hit the ground running almost immediately after the end of the 2022 Festival to prepare for next year and to manage events that take place throughout the year.”
With summer and the 2023 Festival still far off on the other side of winter, what exactly is keeping staff and volunteers so active today? I started to list the high-level initiatives and was immediately amazed by the depth and breadth of initiatives currently underway or in the planning stages:
- 2022 year-end financial report and audit
- Development of our 2023 balanced budget
- Music Scores program in area schools, culminating with a performance at the Stockey Centre
- November Nights virtual concert series
- Parry Sound Girlfriends’ Weekend events
- Grant applications
- Monthly Board Meetings
- Monthly Executive Meetings
- Monthly newsletter development
- Various committee meetings
- Community outreach/integration activities
- Donor/sponsor recognition initiatives
- Volunteer recognition events and recruiting …
… to name a few. And, of course, each month will bring new challenges and opportunities requiring consideration and prioritization.
While any of us could easily be overwhelmed by this work of creating, administering, and financing our Festival, we encourage each other by remembering that our real objective is to deliver classical music to a diverse and inclusive audience and to inspire a love of classical music for generations to come.
If you are one of these volunteers working to make this happen, I thank you for all you do.
And if anyone tells you that staff and volunteers “take a nice long holiday after the end of each Festival,” well, just refer them to my friend. She knows better now.
Sincerely,
Cathy Ballantyne
President
NOVEMBER NIGHTS
Our November Nights concert series is still available to stream! Until Friday, November 25th, all three of our November Nights concerts will be accessible through a link sent to ticket-holders. If you would like to view any or all of these concerts, purchase a ticket by calling us at (705) 746-2410 or 1-866-364-0061 and you will gain access to these exclusive virtual events!
We have a special greeting from Janina Fialkowska herself introducing tonight’s livestream of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major! The concert premieres tonight at 7:30 pm EST.
MUSIC SCORES – THE SKY SPEAKS TO ME
Our fall Music Scores sessions begin in just over a week! We can’t wait to dive in and create with the students of the Parry Sound area. Facilitated by Samantha Whelan-Kotkas, Walter MacDonald White Bear, Mark Limacher, and Chloe Weston, The Sky Speaks to Me is an interactive and educational musical galactic experience inspired by Chief Dan George’s poem “My Heart Soars”. Students will have the opportunity to explore their creativity through poetry and music.
Check out our website to learn more about the artists and our program this year!
If you would like to support our Music Scores program this year, you can do so through our Move it to Music Scores Bus Fundraiser! This support allows us to bus over 700 students to the Stockey Centre on December 2nd for our final Music Scores performances. We are so grateful to all of our patrons who have helped make this program possible over the years, and we can’t wait to grow this program to reach even more students in our area and beyond and to continue fostering music education for young people.
The Sky Speaks to Me is made possible with support from the following organizations: the Recording Industries Music Performance Trust Fund, the Near North District School Board, and Ontario Presents.
PARRY SOUND GIRLFRIENDS’ WEEKEND
25% Off All Merchandise
Every visitor gets a free Gift!
The Festival of the Sound is honoured to be one of Ontario’s premier classical summer music festivals. Now entering its 44th year, the Festival has a long history of hosting world-class musical talent right here in Parry Sound, and we are so excited to be a part of this year’s Girlfriends’ Weekend! Come check out our gift shop, where every purchase goes towards furthering our vision of broadening the musical horizons of our community. Jewelry, giftware, candles and clothing will be available.
Our gift shop will be open on Friday, November 18th from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm and on Saturday, November 19th from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Friday is also the last premiere of our November Nights virtual concert series, featuring Janina Fialkowska’s performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major.
AN INTERVIEW WITH SILVIE CHENG
For this month’s interview, Chloe Weston, our Education & Outreach Coordinator, speaks with one half of the Festival favourite Cheng² Duo, Silvie Cheng, as we air our Catch a Rising Star virtual concert. Click here to read their conversation, which has been edited slightly for length.