Flash version here.
How do arts organizations keep themselves relevant in uncertain economic times? In the fall, we at La Scena Musicale begin our 17th year as an independent non-profit charitable arts media that does not receive any governmental operating grants, so this is a problem we are confronting.
The answer lies in continuing to do what we do best: looking out for the needs of our readers. With this in mind, we’ve decided to consolidate our summer issues together into a blockbuster June-July issue containing our annual guide to all Canadian music and arts festivals. Our August-September issue appears on August 10 to help our readers plan for back-to-school activities and contains the Fall Arts Preview of what’s hot in the 2012-2013 arts season. Going forward, our retooling means that each issue will appear 3 to 7 days before the first of the month, a frequent request from our readers.
With the rise in digital music, our innovative Discovery CD feature, in partnership with Espace 21 and available only to paying subscribers, will be changing. Beginning in October, the physical CD will be replaced by a digital download, and this means more music. Instead of 10 CDs per year, we will offer a weekly download of complete recordings, and focus on both Canadian and international artists.
Our review section is also changing. With fewer printed pages available, we will now be focusing our reviews on Canadian products, while beefing up our online presence with more reviews.
Finally, as a leader in classical music information and news, in our June issue we are launching a new Industry column dedicated to interconnecting the arts community by highlighting new developments in music and arts organizations across Canada. If you have new initiatives, programs and commissions, tour announcements and updates, new appointments in artistic or administrative positions, competition and award winners and opportunities and additions to artist rosters, please email us at shira@lascena.org. We are pleased that PR specialist Shira Gilbert will be taking charge of this column, which will also come in the form of a bi-weekly email newsletter.
A dedicated team of staff and volunteers bring La Scena Musicale to you. We welcome more volunteers in writing, translation, distribution, marketing and fundraising, etc., as well as donations. Our next fundraising activity is the sale of tickets to Opéra de Montréal’s upcoming production of Faust, as well as a Singing Telegram for Mother’s Day. See www.dons.lascena.org.
The present May issue begins our coverage of music and arts festivals with our annual International Festival Guide. Spring festivals are highlighted with our cover feature on Denis Brott and the Montreal Chamber Music Festival.
Have a happy, musical spring!
Version française...
