Thank you.
If you didn't hear, my name is Katherine Carleton, and I'm executive director of Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada, a national membership organization for Canada's professional orchestras.
I'm really grateful for the opportunity to speak to you today. I'm aware of the importance of your current deliberations and I'm very pleased to speak on behalf of our member orchestras right across the country--that's from Newfoundland to northern British Columbia.
First, a few quick facts about Canada's orchestras. We have approximately 80 member orchestras across the country. In 2004-05 their budgets totalled $150 million. They performed in formal concerts for audiences totalling 2.2 million. They performed for over one million school children across the country. They engaged approximately 3,000 professional musicians, 1,000 administrators, and they benefited from the hard work and commitment of some 25,000 volunteers. Far from being elitist institutions, they are committed community organizations and they perform in communities large and small right across the country.
The Standing Committee on Finance issued a significant challenge when it framed its document, “Canada's Place in a Competitive World”. The challenge is surely to express something authentic about the achievements and the potential of the organizations I represent, respond to the very considerable challenges you face, and do so in under five minutes.
I'm taking the arts approach: I'm going to tell you a story about one of our member orchestras. I could tell good stories about any one of 80--I have to choose one, and I've chosen to focus on Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, based in Toronto.
The group was formed on a shoestring in a leaky church basement in downtown Toronto in 1979 by a small group of people who dreamed of applying the dry, scholarly research on music written between 1600-1750 to real live contemporary performance, not on the face of it a sure-fire, get-rich-quick scheme. But 27 years later, Tafelmusik has an annual budget of $3.5 million, over 70 recordings, a sky-high, worldwide reputation cemented through the recordings as well as regular international touring, an entrepreneurial spirit that incorporates performance and educational partnerships, cutting-edge use of new media, and award-winning electronic media projects.
Tafelmusik is an example of reverse brain drain. Performers come to Toronto from all over the world to study with members of the orchestra during its summer institute and through its partnership diploma program with the University of Toronto. Many of these musicians hope to join the orchestra one day--it's that good.
Lest you get the impression the orchestra only focuses on elite performance opportunities, I'll emphasize that it's equally committed to serving the community through a wide array of educational initiatives, including regularly partnering with schools in Toronto's challenged Regent Park neighbourhood. These are really intensive projects, working one-on-one with the kids on creative music development and performance projects.
As enthusiastic as I am about this group, I promise you that they're just an example of orchestras right across the country. What does the example underline, and what am I asking you to consider today?
First, our request is for increased federal funding for the arts through the Canada Council for the Arts. We're asking for a total increase in parliamentary appropriation to the Canada Council of $100 million. As we've seen in the Tafelmusik example, funding from the Canada Council leverages investment from all other levels of government, is often the first money in, and encourages earned revenue and philanthropic support. In Tafelmusik's case, $320,000 from the Canada Council helps generate $3.2 million in other revenue. You're seeding cultural entrepreneurs, and it's a pretty good deal.
The second thing we'd like to see is a commitment to stabilizing and then increasing funding for international cultural touring through the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Tafelmusik is just one group with an international reputation; having a bit of an investment from DFAIT is a big help.
We'd also like to see that arts organizations are recognized, not just as nice people pleasing themselves with what they're doing, but also as economic drivers.
Finally, we'd like to support the work of the blue ribbon task force on grants and contributions, and say that the discussion around accountability is one that we very much welcome. We think we can demonstrate value for the investment and we're very willing to engage in that discussion.
Thank you very much for your time today.