Thank you, Dr. Fry, for those good questions.
To answer the first one, I think it plays right into the hands of what I said earlier about reflection versus initiation. The problem with doing more of what we call “remotes” in the broadcast business, picking up concerts that are already going on, is that no one at the CBC is choosing those artists; nobody is choosing who the soloist will be and what the repertoire will be. So it's a case of the CBC just giving up on its whole control of who they're going to present.
Many of the community orchestras are directed by foreign music directors. The National Arts Centre, where you are at present, has a foreign music director. I did an analysis of the soloists they have, and even though it is almost completely supported by Canadian Heritage, the soloists in the upcoming season are about 65% Canadian. But the soloists with the CBC Radio Orchestra are 100% Canadian, so that's the difference.
With respect to representing different parts of the country, the CBC Radio Orchestra has always gone to great lengths to represent the talent from all over Canada. It has commissioned many, many composers from every part of Canada and has had soloists from every part of Canada.
So those arguments just don't float.
Thank you.