2023/24 Annual Report
September 1, 2023 – August 31, 2024
A letter from the Artistic and Executive Director
EMV has had an excellent year and I feel privileged to have been a part of it. The audience growth and the successes we enjoyed in our 54th season are directly attributable to the strength and efforts of many. The EMV staff, Board of Directors, donors, funders, volunteers, and supporting partners, make a team without measure. The breadth of skill, commitment, and generosity makes all our work possible.
Artistically, this year has been richly rewarding for both audiences and performers. The almost sold-out production of the Messiah at the Orpheum, the Monteverdi Vespers at the Chan, Bach’s cello suites with Elinor Frey, and the exceptional performances of our 2024 Artist in Residence, mandolinist Alon Sariel, were highlights of the season.
I would also like to recognize Alexander Weimann, the music director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra. His artistic excellence and vision shone in both his solo recital and orchestral performances. In the 2024 festival, Bach Untamed, he incorporated musical traditions from the Middle East and South Asia in a Bach motet concert, redefining what early music can encompass. This was warmly appreciated by our audience who clearly value creativity that honours both tradition and exploration.
On the eve of our 55th year, it is exciting to see how we have expanded the definition of early music through cross-cultural collaborations, and the crucial role we play in enhancing the cultural richness of Vancouver, and the world. Our continued belief in artistic excellence, dialogue, and community engagement have made EMV a welcoming space for music lovers both new and broadly experienced.
We are looking ahead to a stunning 55th Anniversary Year, and to welcoming you all to share in wonderful concerts that bring joy, adventure, and peace.
Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., Artistic & Executive Director
EMV Staff & Consultants
Suzie LeBlanc C.M., Artistic & Executive Director
Jonathan Evans, Production Manager
Julia Halbert, Executive Assistant & Project Manager
Nathan Lorch, Business Manager
Adele Marsland, Marketing and Communications Manager
Carmen Murphy, Donor Relations Manager
Natalie Rostov, Patron Services Manager.
Read their biographies.
Jenny Lee Craig, Summer Festival Production Manager
Kiran Bhachu, Graphic Designer
José Verstappen, Designer & Typesetter and Artistic Director Emeritus;
Joanna Dundas, Digital Strategy Consultant
Murray Patterson Marketing Group
Jess MacAleese, Photographer
Mark Mushet, Photographer
Collide Entertainment
A letter from EMV’s Board President
Welcome to Early Music Vancouver’s 2024 Annual Report! You will find it chock full of information about our thriving society. Concert attendance this year has been robust. Society members have supported our shared goals with ticket purchases and philanthropic donations, with home stays for artists, air miles, and ushering. We have developed a growing list of corporate donors, too, all of which complements nicely a solid foundation of support from government, for which we are profoundly grateful. EMV’s stable financial condition allows us to present and produce sparkling concerts with the most talented musicians, both local and global. To bring those concerts together takes the artistic sensibility and organizational skills of Artistic and Executive Director Suzie LeBlanc and the dedicated and passionate staff. It is wonderful to be a part of such a thriving society! As we head toward our celebration of EMV’s 55th year, please join me in thanking the professionals who work toward our shared vision and the volunteers who help bring that vision to reality.
Finally, I would like to share the excellent news that Suzie has been awarded as a Knight of the French Order of the Arts and Letters by the French Ambassador to Canada on November 27, 2024. Please join me in conveying your warm congratulations to Suzie, en français, si possible!
Andrew Szeri, EMV Board President
EMV Board of Directors
Andrew Szeri, President; Pam Ratner, Vice President; Ron Kruschen, Treasurer; Vincent Tan, Secretary; Board Members:
Janet Lea, Jeff Sodowsky, Serena Ko, José Verstappen, Artistic Director Emeritus. Read their biographies.
Vision
A world in which the power of music inspires all people to engage with and value the arts.
Mission
To engage, enrich and educate through music
Values
We promote historically informed performance practices.
We deliver inspirational experiences.
We foster collaborative relationships.
We generate opportunities that support local early music professionals.
We commit to inclusivity in all our activities.
We strive for excellence and sustainability in everything we do.
EMV acknowledges that we operate on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples – the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
EMV’s 2023-2024 Main Season – Live and Digital Concerts
Artistic Partnerships in 2023/2024
Chopin Society, The Leonids & Chor Leoni, Vancouver Chamber Choir
Season Highlight: Handel’s Messiah
A collaboration with the Vancouver Chamber Choir
In this sold out Messiah production, shepherded by Alexander Weimann, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the outstanding soloists and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra embarked on an inspired spiritual and artistic journey toward a new, vibrant way of unlocking Handel’s most masterful work.
This production was the highest selling concert in the history of EMV.
“Even after having conducted this piece a few dozen times and having played it some hundred times earlier, I am still puzzled at how conclusive and coherent it comes to life in performance. It does not have a narrative as we would find in other oratorios, at least not at the surface, and the form is quite unusual. It feels like a novel whose protagonist we never directly meet but carefully and gently approach through a sequence of portrayals and depictions of their birth, life, suffering, death, and legacy, and what all that means to us. In my years of knowing the piece, I have found the Messiah a sacred, but not exclusively religious subject, rather the account of a universal and inclusive human quest.” (Alexander Weimann, March 2023)
Digital Production Team: Cameras: Collide Entertainment, Mike Southworth, Vancouver Playhouse | Recording Engineers: Don Harder, Grant Rowledge, Susana Valente | Producers: Denise Ball and Joanna Dundas
EMV’s Trip to Italy: The World of Monteverdi’s Italy
In May 2024, 30 of EMV’s dearest supporters followed in the footsteps of Claudio Monteverdi and explored the cities and sites important in his life and career. Those remarkable cities, all lying in the valley of the river Po, were deeply interconnected in Monteverdi’s time and are all within easy reach with modern transportation. We visited the city of Monteverdi’s birth, Cremona, an important artistic city only second to Milan in the Renaissance, and Mantua, the stunning capital of the Gonzaga duchy where many Monteverdi’s masterpieces were created, including the ground-breaking L’Orfeo in the ducal palace. We also visited the other treasure-rich cities-duchies, Parma, Modena, and Ferrara. These cities hosted many essential Renaissance and early Baroque, artists, musicians (Luzzaschi, Marenzio) and writers (Ariosto, Tasso) that were crucial in Monteverdi’s inspiration and education. We also spent time in Bologna visiting EMV’s 2023 Artist-in-Residence and curator of the Tagliavini Collection of ancient musical instruments, Catalina Vicens for the final concert of the tour with Suzie LeBlanc, Bruce Dickey and Maximilien Brisson at the Museum of San Colombano. To close the tour, we finished with a beautiful day in Venice. Thank you to Guillaume Bernardi for guiding us on this magnificent trip.
The 2024 Summer Festival – BACH UNTAMED
The 2024 Summer Festival BACH UNTAMED reimagined Bach’s music by blending it with distant vocal traditions and improvisation practices from his time allowing audiences to experience Bach’s works in fresh and unexpected ways, and also exploring diverse early music. A highlight of the festival was its incorporation of artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, including performers from India, Lebanon, Palestine, and Israel, whose contributions enriched a performance of Bach’s motets. This fusion showcased the festival’s commitment to cross-cultural dialogue.
The festival was held at various venues, including Christ Church Cathedral, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Fox Cabaret, the Bill Reid Art Gallery, and Congregation Beth Israel. From free outdoor performances to concerts in iconic venues, the festival brought together
artists and audiences from all walks of life, creating shared experiences that resonated deeply with all music lovers, early music enthusiasts with new attendees alike.
“We attended six evening concerts over the past two weeks and were overjoyed with both the excellence of the performances, and the performers themselves, in every one. As I said a few times to fellow attendees at the end of a performance “where else in the world can you experience such heavenly music performed by world class musicians?” – Graham and Gayle Cooke
Artist in Residence Programme
The Artist in Residence programme brings outstanding performers to the Summer Festival to participate in a number of festival concerts and engage with the local community through workshops, interviews, coaching and/or panel discussions.
Alon Sariel, 2024 Artist-in-Residence
Alon Sariel is one of today’s most versatile performers, known as a multi-instrumentalist in the realm of plucked strings with a growing reputation as a fascinating Bach interpreter.
Alon opened the festival by performing in EMV’s Gala, Rondeau in The Garden, followed by five other concerts including his unforgettable Plucked Bach solo concert at Beth Israel and his performance in our festival closer at the Vancouver Playhouse with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra. During his residency, Alon also taught a 3-day masterclass, The Unconventional Bach: Mandolin & More! Alon’s wich for the residency was to engage with EMV’s audience and leave a mark on the festival. All we can say is that he achieved and surpassed this goal!
“Being Artist-in-Residence means I’ll really be able to leave my mark on this festival edition, engage with the audience more intensively and contribute my part to multiple concerts and events. I love this idea because it’ll give me the chance to collaborate with a great number of superb artists, spend a little more time in wonderful Vancouver and enjoy the summer festival atmosphere. I will also get to showcase my instruments in different contexts such as early/late Baroque, world music, contemporary music and crossover.” – Alon Sariel
EMV’s 2024 Artist-in-Residence, Alon Sariel was generously sponsored by Birgit Westergaard and Norman Gladstone.
“Alon Sariel was spectacular.” – Patron
“We loved the performance. It really stayed with me, as I love the mandolin and don’t have the chance to hear it often, so a very special way to end the festival” – Laura Moore
EMV: The Next Generation
Hans Grunwald, baritone & Adrienne Hyde, gambist
Early music is continually being refreshed and rejuvenated by successive generations of young artists who bring their unique perspectives and experiences to the music. Early Music Vancouver was delighted to welcome baritone Hans Grunwald (UBC School of Music) and gambist Adrienne Hyde (Julliard School of Music) as our third annual Next Generation Artists. Their undeniable talent and artistry was showcased “A Dedication to Music”, a concert featuring German arias and lieder and sonatas for viola da gamba, a programme conceived and accompanied on harpsichord and organ by Christina Hutten. Learn more.
Summer Festival 2024 Live Concerts
Rondeau in The Garden Fundraising Gala 2024
Our third annual Rondeau gala, Rondeau in The Garden, was a resounding success. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported EMV through this event. Everyone enjoyed their evening and, thanks to our lively and generous auctioneer, Fred Lee, we doubled our fundraising goal and raised over $187,000!
Thank you to our many Corporate sponsors, individual table hosts and donors who made gifts before, during and after the event!
We’d like to give special thanks to the following people who made the event a success:
Julian Scott, Host
Fred Lee, Auctioneer
Corporate Sponsors
Roper Greyell LLP, Special Travel International
Miller Thomson LLP, Macdonald Shymko & Company-Fee-Only Financial Advisor, Leis De Buds
Live Auction Successful Bidders
George Pick, Mike & Kathy Gallagher, Luciano Zago & Celia Dawson, Judy Burns, Robert Adria, Torsten Jaccard
Paddle Raise Donors over $2,500
Anonymous, Anonymous, Mike and Kathy Gallagher, George Luciuk, Julian Scott, Robert Adria, Sally Hermansen
Special Supporters
Bruce Munro Wright, O.B.C., The Vancouver Club, The Opus Hotel, Vancouver Canucks, Daniel J. Catt, Margaret Atwood, Tony Roper, Steven Burrows
The Pacific Baroque Orchestra
Alexander Weimann, Music Director
Established in 1990, Pacific Baroque Orchestra (PBO) is recognized as one of Canada’s most exciting and innovative ensembles performing “early music for modern ears”. PBO brings the music of the past up to date by performing with cutting edge style and enthusiasm. EMV fully integrated the Pacific Baroque Orchestra (PBO) into the organization in 2016-2017 under the leadership of keyboardist and conductor Alexander Weimann.
PBO regularly joins forces with internationally-celebrated Canadian guest artists, providing performance opportunities for Canadian musicians while exposing West Coast audiences to a spectacular variety of talent. The Orchestra has also toured throughout BC, the northern United States, and across Canada. Their 2019 East Coast Canadian tour with Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin culminated in a critically acclaimed album, Nuit Blanches, released by Atma Classique.
“I was blown away by the artistry of the individual performers and the ensemble as a whole. Bravo!” – Patron
THE PBO’S 2023-2024 SEASON
Handel’s Apollo e Dafne – September 15, 2023
The Messiah – a collaboration with the Vancouver Chamber Choir – December 8, 2023
The Luminous Hour with Reginald Mobley and the PBO – January 12, 2024 – CANCELLED
Education & Outreach Initiatives
EMV’s education programs are key to developing historically-informed performance practices on the West Coast. Our goal is to develop the next generation of period performers, ensuring the legacy of this specialized art form lives on while enriching the knowledge and appreciation of early music to the wider public. EMV’s and UBC’s Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme continued to thrive and performed in EMV’s free concert for the summer festival. Our ongoing free public lecture-recitals in the intimate Coach House at Green College (UBC) gives the audience a chance to meet our performers in an informal and educative manner. BC Scholarship Programme students continued to hone their skills with members of the PBO and other local and national instructors and Christina Hutten offered another online course on Women in Music. Learn about all of our initiatives here.
Fundraising Results & Financial Summary
We are very pleased to report fundraising results for 2023/24.
It’s been a very exciting year in fundraising. Our family of donors have been very supportive this year, and we have had much success in bringing new donors, both individual and corporate to Early Music Vancouver.
Our dedicated family of donors has grown, and we thank everyone who renewed and increased their support to us. We are very grateful for the many new donors who have joined us, and welcome our new media sponsor, Global BC! Our annual fundraising gala brought new corporate sponsors, among them Roper Greyell, Miller Thomson, Macdonald Shymko, Leis de Buds, and Special Travel International.
We thank our major donors for their continuous generosity in sponsoring our summer festival and main season concerts. We are so grateful to have many individual sponsors, and this year, we were proud to have our artist-in-residence sponsored for the first time!
Early Music Vancouver is equally grateful for the ongoing public support we received from the Government of Canada through Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts; the Province of BC through BC Arts Council, BC Gaming, and the B.C. Fairs, Festivals and Events Fund; and the City of Vancouver for their steadfast support. We are also very thankful for our production partners: the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and the Rosedale on Robson Suite Hotel.
Legacy gifts made a difference to Early Music Vancouver this year. We are always emotionally impacted by the passing of members of our donor family, and value the priceless gifts left to us. These legacy gifts are lasting treasure to all of us as we continue to revive early music for our audiences, and the world.
This past year, we are saddened by the passing of a few precious donors, Adam Farson and Erna Schaefer. We remember them with fondness.
MESSAGE FROM EMV’S BUSINESS MANAGER, NATHAN LORCH
Enthusiastic readers of Early Music Vancouver’s annual report who look forward to the newest “Message from the Business Manager” may recall that a historical measure of EMV’s financial health has often been the equal split between our three sources of revenue: Direct Income (earned revenue, primarily ticket sales and subscriptions), Public Sector (government support), and Private Sector (donations, endowments, foundations, and sponsorships).
Our progress towards regaining this balance after the pandemic broke it beyond recognition has been gradual but continuous. The prior year had returned us to 20% Direct Income, 38% Public Sector, and 42% Private Sector. Private Sector was unusually high that year as a result of two bequests that were received, without the bequests the balance would 23% Direct, 42% Public, and 35% Private.
I’m happy to report that after a successful concert season and summer festival our 2023-24 results were 30% Direct Income, 30% Public Sector, and 40% Private Sector. We had expected Direct Income at 27% for the year, so are pleased to have exceeded our target. Will the 2024-25 results finally return us to 33% Direct Income? We’ll have to wait for another year to find out.
A glance at the Financial Statements would give the impression that EMV’s total budget decreased as compared to prior year. This is largely due to our Christmas concert, “Handel’s Messiah”, being a co-production and so only EMV’s half of all revenue and expenses related to that performance are recorded in our financial statements. Total revenue is also reduced due to the prior year including two Bequests as previously mentioned.
Donor Thank You
EMV would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all of our incredibly generous donors who have made our success in recent years a reality. The following list represents donations made between September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024.
Government:
Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver, BC Gaming Commission, Conseil des Arts et des Lettres de Québec, Creative BC, Metro Vancouver
Foundations:
Graham and Gayle Cooke Foundation, The Drance Family Early Music Vancouver Fund, Nemetz Foundation, Mary and Gordon Christopher Foundation, McLean Foundation, Hamber Foundation, Chan Endowment Fund at the University of British Columbia
Production Partners:
Vancouver Chamber Choir, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, UBC School of Music, Green College, Christ Church Cathedral Vancouver, Kay Meek Centre, ACT Arts Centre in Maple Ridge, Vancouver Chopin Society, Vancouver Pro Musica
Production Partners in Victoria:
Christ Church Cathedral Victoria, Pacific Baroque Festival, Victoria Conservatory of Music, Victoria Baroque
Corporate Support:
Roper Greyell LLP, Special Travel International, Miller Thomson LLP, Macdonald Shymko & Company, Fee-Only Financial Advisor, Leis De Buds, Rosedale on Robson Suite Hotel, Glenmore Printing, Prism Printing
Volunteer Thank You
The work of Early Music Vancouver is made possible through the generous assistance of our many volunteers who offer their time, skills, and support.
Contact
For more information about making a donation or becoming involved with EMV, contact Natalie Rostov, Patron Services Manager
604-732-1610 natalie@earlymusic.bc.ca
