In a press release issued Thursday at 5 p.m., the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra Association (KWS) announced that it had filed for bankruptcy and that the board of directors had resigned en bloc. This is the end of the road for this professional orchestra employing around fifty musicians, created in 1945 and musically nourishing a population of 600,000 inhabitants, the 10e urban area in the country.
The various alarm signals launched since Sunday will have been of no use. After the cancellation of the season, decided in one block on Sunday for economic reasons, but also in order to allow musicians, employed 34 weeks a year, to continue to receive the employment insurance benefits from which they benefit during the summer , the requests became more precise on Tuesday, around the figure of 2 million dollars, or 40% of the budget of 5 million per year.
In the interview published this Thursday by The duty, music director Andrei Feher admitted that things had changed little since Sunday and former president of the board of directors Heather Galt admitted that the specter of bankruptcy was a matter of days. Nothing has changed since Tuesday either and the irremediable has happened.
“We are absolutely devastated by this outcome,” said Rachel Smith-Spencer, chair of the board. “Over the past three days, we have engaged all key stakeholders and exhausted all available avenues to secure the $2 million we need immediately to continue operations. »
Fundraisers
As can be understood from the interview conducted by The duty On Thursday, the KWS relied a little too much on the lucky star which has repeatedly pulled it out of the rut in its history over the last quarter of a century.
In the necessary post-mortem on this monumental fiasco, the word “reinvention”, overused during the pandemic, will undoubtedly resurface. Not only to bring about a possible new project, but also to learn lessons from what has been done or not done over the last five years and, in particular, during the pandemic to maintain the link with the community.
This failure is a serious warning about the financial state of medium-sized orchestras in the region which require support. It is also a big blow for the excellent chef Andrei Feher, who did not have the opportunity to really prove himself. The pandemic hit just as the fruits of his musical labor were beginning to materialize, after 18 months on the job. And the renaissance after COVID-19 is being cut short.
The release states that for those wishing to support musicians and the future of classical music in the Waterloo region, two independent fundraisers have been set up. The musicians have created a GoFundMe page. Decisions regarding the use of these funds will be made by the musicians. Furthermore, the “KW Symphony Foundation”, an independent organization responsible for managing long-term investments based on previous donations over many years, continues its activities and, we are told “will be able to support any future initiative aimed at offering classical music concerts in the Waterloo region. Donations to this foundation can be made through Canada Helps.