Dear Minister Hansen, Minister Krueger, Minister Coleman and Premier Campbell,

On the BC Budget 2009 website, the introduction states:

“September Budget Update 2009 protects vital services and positions British Columbia for renewed economic growth. Government is taking steps to protect the critical public services British Columbians rely on, to promote new investment and economic growth and move forward with long-term initiatives that will improve the quality of life throughout B.C.” (www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2009_Sept_Update/default.htm)

And yet, the 2009 budget tabled last week includes a sudden decline in core funding for the arts, of more than 80 percent over two years (some analyses put the final reduction at 92 percent by 2012).  Why decide to drastically cut a sector that has consistently demonstrated its ability to do precisely the things listed above? Many studies (including one conducted by your own government) have shown that arts activity stimulates economic growth, generates jobs, provides a healthy return on investment, and fosters vibrant, healthy, diverse communities. And yet, you have refused to capitalize on this potential; in fact, you seem to be actively trying to destroy it. At best, I find this a dangerously irresponsible direction for the government to take, and I think that British Columbians deserve a real explanation of the rationale behind it.

I find it difficult to accept the justification that, for instance, Minister Coleman offered for the withdrawal of BC Gaming Direct Access funds: that the government is making tough but necessary decisions, prioritizing the really important things in these precarious times. The implication is that music, theatre, literature, dance, film and visual art are luxuries that our society cannot afford and will not miss.

For myself, I cannot imagine a world *without* these things – but I am a writer, an arts administrator, a publicist, a teacher, a stage manager, a musician; I have worked in the cultural sector since I was sixteen years old, and participated in it as a performer and audience member for at least ten years before that. Clearly, the arts are central to my life, both professional and personal. I understand that this is not the case for many people; that when decisions need to be made, it is sometimes easy to think of the arts as somehow outside of daily life, less urgently relevant than other concerns. But I ask you to consider the possibility that, in fact, the opposite is true. For instance, there is a direct relationship between the art forms listed above and the many industries and services British Columbians access every day when they turn on the radio, read a newspaper, play a video game, go to a movie, look at an advertising billboard, sign up their kids for extra-curricular programs, visit the library, or surf the internet. In the long term, cuts to arts funding will have a negative impact on all of these everyday things, and more. The ripple effect will be vast and profound.

It’s not just hundreds of arts organizations across the province that are threatened; it’s not just my livelihood and that of 80,000 other workers in BC’s creative sector that may be in jeopardy. Apart from stimulating economic growth and generating jobs, arts activity fosters creativity, innovation and volunteerism. Arts workers acquire transferable skills that benefit any number of other seemingly unrelated sectors. Through the arts, British Columbians talk to each other, communicate new ideas, remind ourselves of the past and imagine the future.  We learn to transcend linguistic, cultural and socio-economic barriers, to understand each other better, to forge connections and work together, to think outside the box. In a province as large and diverse as British Columbia, with the immense challenges (economic, social, environmental) that we face in the world today, how can the government *not* value a sector that offers all these things?

I am not asking for special treatment for the arts. When funds are distributed and budget decisions are made, I simply want the creative sector to be given consideration that accurately reflects its potential as a sound investment with substantial, far-reaching economic and social benefits.  I want my provincial government to recognize that culture matters.

Thank you for your attention to these issues.

Regards,

Melanie Thompson

Vancouver, BC

This is a monthly compilation of what’s coming down the pipe for me professionally. I find that posting media releases only tells half – or maybe even only a third – of the story…since, at any given time, many of the things I’m working on don’t necessarily come with media releases attached. So…here’s a more complete tally of the projects I’ve got on my plate this month:

Publicity:

Tempus Theatre – 36 VIEWS (May 1-23 at Jericho Arts Centre – Western Canadian premiere!) by award-winning Japanese American playwright Naomi Iizuka: an innovative multi-disciplinary production directed by Anthony F. Ingram and starring Keith Martin Gordey Annabel Kershaw, Michael Kopsa, Lissa Neptuno, Bert Steinmanis and Valerie Sing Turner. Part romance, part mystery and part con game, the play casts a enthralling spell of poetic language, evocative sounds and beautiful images, even as it asks compelling and timely questions about cultural authenticity, the value of art in society, and the quest for truth in art and in human relationships. www.tempustheatre.com

Laudate Singers – Viva Vivaldi! (May 22, St. David’s United Church, West Vancouver): featuring violinist Nancy DiNovo and an ensemble of Vancouver’s finest Baroque instrumentalists in a performance of Vivaldi’s beloved Gloria, as well as Beatus Vir and the glittering Spring movement from the Four Seasons concerto. www.laudatesingers.com

Bluebird North (June 2, 7:30 pm at the Roundhouse): The Songwriters Association of Canada has declared June 2nd “A Day of Song”, celebrating the simultaneous launch of Bluebird North songwriters’ showcases in Winnipeg, Ottawa and St. John’s. Vancouver will be at the cross-country party too, with producer Shari Ulrich hosting the 66th West Coast edition of Bluebird North on the same day. Vancouver audiences can expect great songs and great stories from talented locals (and music industry veterans) Ivan Joseph Boudreau, Angela Harris, Paul Hyde (The Payola$) and Bruce Miller. www.songwriters.ca

Music of the Whole World: India & the West – a history and a future, with Moshe Denburg (June 10, 7:00 pm at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch): fifth in the VICO’s annual six-part FREE educational series Music of the Whole World: Explorations of World Music Cultures By Canadian Composers.  Composer Moshe Denburg presents an introduction to the history of intercultural collaborations between India and the West, and discusses future possibilities. www.vi-co.org

Production Coordination/Stage Management:

Broadway Bound (May 24, 6 pm at Mulgrave School): Creber Music’s gala end-of-year revue, featuring The CM Singers, Encore Musical Theatre, the Mulgrave Community Choir and more, with live accompaniment by the Michael Creber Band. Ticket info coming soon!

Summer Musical Theatre at Mulgrave (July 13-25): 2-week program in which participants (grades K to 9) mount a full-length musical from the ground up, culminating in a spectacular live performance. Info and registration form here: www.mulgrave.com/summermusicaltheatre.asp

Writing / Editing:

Grants, grants and more grants: Canada Council, BC Gaming, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver…all have deadlines falling between now and mid-June.

The Inter-Cultural: Spring issue of the VICO’s quarterly newsletter.

Onward!

Tempus Theatre Celebrates Asian Heritage Month

with Western Canadian Premiere of

36 VIEWS by Naomi Iizuka

May 1 – 23, 2009

Tues.-Sun. at 8:00 pm, Jericho Arts Centre

Tickets: $25 plus service charges at www.ticketstonight.ca or 604-684-2787

Students & seniors: $20 at the door only / Preview April 30 & all Tues.shows: pay-what-you-can at the door

Tempus Theatre, one of Vancouver’s most exciting new theatrical voices, presents the Western Canadian premiere of 36 VIEWS by award-winning Japanese American playwright Naomi Iizuka, in an innovative multi-disciplinary production directed by Anthony F. Ingram and starring Keith Martin Gordey Annabel Kershaw, Michael Kopsa, Lissa Neptuno, Bert Steinmanis and Valerie Sing Turner. Part romance, part mystery and part con game, the play casts a enthralling spell of poetic language, evocative sounds and beautiful images, even as it asks compelling and timely questions about cultural authenticity, the value of art in society, and the quest for truth in art and in human relationships.

Appropriately for a production running during Asian Heritage Month, 36 VIEWS is a contemporary play set in a modern, metropolitan city that incorporates elements of traditional Japanese Kabuki and Noh theatre, as well as references to Japanese literature, music and visual art (including The Tale of Genji, the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon and the works of Japanese master artists)…references that are fraught with fascinating ambiguity.  “When you live in a country like Canada and a city like Vancouver,” says Ingram (Tempus Theatre’s artistic director), “and you’ve got all these cultural identities struggling to fit themselves in or define themselves against a predominantly northern European cultural influence…what is the difference between bastardizing a cultural touchstone and borrowing it to create a new cultural language?”

36 VIEWS moves effortlessly between that bigger picture and a more intimate, more personal one: in the playwright’s words, “it’s a play about how difficult it is to arrive at some fixed, unchanging truth about a human being, or a work of art, or a love affair. What we thought was the truth changes. Our perceptions shift, and it’s complicated. People are complicated. Why they make certain choices is at times contradictory, and I wanted to build a play that captured in its actual form all those contradictions.”

Plot synopsis: An art dealer and an art historian discover what appears to be an ancient manuscript, a priceless Japanese pillow book created by a medieval courtesan. As they try to prove its authenticity, their search becomes an erotic game of greed, love, and sleight-of-hand. In a series of 36 interlocking scenes, Naomi Iizuka’s play explores the relationship between the imaginary and the real, and the lines and spaces that separate feelings and words, objects and images of objects, antiques and reproductions, and a person’s heritage and physical features. Culture and commodity, fetish and forgery, and personal and professional revenge are all exposed in 36 VIEWS.

Design Team: 36 VIEWS will feature lighting by Darren Boquist, set by Todd Parker, sound by Ronin Wong, projections by Corwin Ferguson and costumes by Nina Prelog. It is co-produced by Tempus founders Anna Hagan, Anthony F. Ingram, Bert Steinmanis and Valerie Sing Turner, with Maria Denholme as Associate Producer.

Valerie Sing Turner in 36 VIEWS; photo by Tim Matheson

Announcing

The Universal Gospel Choir

& Shari Ulrich in

EVERY ROAD LEADS HOME

A Benefit Concert for the Callanish Society

Saturday April 18, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage

2750 Granville St.

Tickets $32.50 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Box Office (604-687-1644)

or online at www.vancouvertix.com

Vancouver’s Universal Gospel Choir and singer-songwriter Shari Ulrich join forces in this benefit concert for the Callanish Society, a grassroots non-profit organization that provides emotional and spiritual support to people with cancer, their families and their health care providers (www.callanish.org). “Every Road Leads Home” will be the first time that these two much-beloved local acts have performed together, and audiences are sure to be uplifted by the interweaving of Juno Award winner Ulrich’s evocative original songs with the Universal Gospel Choir’s passionate renditions of sacred songs from all over the world – including a healthy helping of on-your-feet-booty-shaking-gospel. Pianist Diane Lines, drummer Rob Ferguson and multi-instrumentalist Bill Runge provide accompaniment. “Every Road Leads Home” promises to be an evening full of joy, hope and the healing power of music…all in support of a cause that touches us all.

Directed by Kathryn Nicholson, the Universal Gospel Choir is a multi-faith, multi-cultural community choir that has been bringing the healing and uplifting power of the world’s sacred song traditions to diverse audiences since 1985. The UGC has established a reputation for engaging audiences with its passion, commitment to musical authenticity, and dedication to the community-building power of shared song. The choir’s eclectic repertoire reflects African-American, Cuban, African, European, Asian and Native American influences. www.universalgospelchoir.ca

A 2002 inductee into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Juno Award winner Shari Ulrich’s finesse on violin, mandolin, flute, piano, sax and dulcimer was first heard in the early 70s with the Pied Pumkin.  After two years with the “Hometown Band,” Shari went on to record six solo albums of original songs as well as two with UHF (Ulrich/Henderson/Forbes) and two with the re-emergent Pied Pumkin.  She just released a live concert CD with Barney Bentall & Tom Taylor, and is currently recording a long overdue new solo album. Shari also composes, produces and engineers music for television and documentaries, and teaches songwriting, both in the university and workshop setting. www.shariulrich.com

This is the inaugural edition of what I hope will be a regular feature on this blog: a monthly compilation of what’s coming down the pipe for me professionally. I find that posting media releases only tells half – or maybe even only a third – of the story…since, at any given time, many of the things I’m working on don’t necessarily come with media releases attached. So…here’s a more complete tally of the projects I’ve got on my plate this month:

Publicity:

Bluebird North (April 7, 7:30 pm at the Roundhouse): songwriters showcase featuring Leslie Alexander, John Wort Hannam,  Dave Phillips and Bonnie Ste-Croix. www.songwriters.ca

Every Road Leads Home (April 18th,  8 pm at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage): benefit concert for the Callanish Society featuring Shari Ulrich and the Universal Gospel Choir. www.callanish.org

Music of the Whole World: Balinese Gamelan & Western Composition, with Michael Tenzer (April 22, 7:00 pm at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch): fourth in the VICO’s annual six-part FREE educational series Music of the Whole World: Explorations of World Music Cultures By Canadian Composers.  Composer Michael Tenzer, assisted by Balinese musician I Wayan Sudirana, presents an introduction to both the Balinese tradition and his own intercultural music, which combines Gamelan and Western ideas. www.vi-co.org

Tempus Theatre – 36 VIEWS (May 1-23 at Jericho Arts Centre – Western Canadian premiere!) by award-winning Japanese American playwright Naomi Iizuka: an innovative multi-disciplinary production directed by Anthony F. Ingram and starring Keith Martin Gordey Annabel Kershaw, Michael Kopsa, Lissa Neptuno, Bert Steinmanis and Valerie Sing Turner. Part romance, part mystery and part con game, the play casts a enthralling spell of poetic language, evocative sounds and beautiful images, even as it asks compelling and timely questions about cultural authenticity, the value of art in society, and the quest for truth in art and in human relationships. www.tempustheatre.com

Laudate Singers – Viva Vivaldi! (May 22, St. David’s United Church, West Vancouver): featuring violinist Nancy DiNovo and an ensemble of Vancouver’s finest Baroque instrumentalists in a performance of Vivaldi’s beloved Gloria, as well as Beatus Vir and the glittering Spring movement from the Four Seasons concerto. www.laudatesingers.com

Production Coordination/Stage Management:

Broadway Bound (May 24, 6 pm at Mulgrave School): Creber Music’s gala end-of-year revue, featuring The CM Singers, Encore Musical Theatre, the Mulgrave Community Choir and more, with live accompaniment by the Michael Creber Band. Ticket info coming soon!

Summer Musical Theatre at Mulgrave (July 13-25): 2-week program in which participants (grades K to 9) mount a full-length musical from the ground up, culminating in a spectacular live performance. Info and registration form here: www.mulgrave.com/summermusicaltheatre.asp

Writing / Editing:

Grants, grants and more grants: Canada Council, BC Gaming, BC Arts Council, City of Vancouver…all have deadlines falling between now and mid-June.

The Inter-Cultural: Spring issue of the VICO’s quarterly newsletter.

Onward!

Laudate Singers present

VOICE of the TANGO

with

Douglas Schmidt, bandoneon

Kay Sleking, guitar

Saturday March 21, 2009 at 8:00 pm

St. David’s United Church, West Vancouver

and

Tuesday March 24, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Capilano University Performing Arts Theatre, North Vancouver

Tickets $25 / $20 / Free for ages 17 & under (reservation required)

For March 21^st: 604.729.6814 or www.laudatesingers.com

For March 24^th: as above, and via Capilano University at 604.990.7810 or boxoffic@capilanou.ca

Laudate Singers and artistic director Lars Kaario invite Vancouver audiences to dance a few steps off the beaten path with Voice of the Tango: a ground-breaking programme of sensuous, alluring choral music from Central and South America, featuring internationally-renowned instrumentalists Douglas Schmidt (on bandoneon, the quintessential instrument of the tango) and Kay Sleking (guitar).  The repertoire – much of it very seldom performed in Canada to date – will include works by Astor Piazzolla, Oscar Escalada, Miguel Matamoros, Gustavo “Cuchi” Leguizamón, Eduardo Ferraudi, Jorge Cardoso, Carlos Gardel and Hector Stamponi among others, as well as newly commissioned works for choir, bandoneon and guitar by Douglas Schmidt and Laudate’s composer-in-residence Bruce Sled.

Laudate Singers – well known for their high level of technical skill and interpretive flexibility, as well as for consistently presenting repertoire that spans centuries and continents in a relevant and accessible manner – are excited about the artistic challenge of performing this dynamic, passionate music. They also look forward to working with and learning from instrumentalists who are internationally recognized experts in Latin and South American music. Mr. Schmidt, a transplanted British Columbian best known in Canada as a member of Tango Paradiso and Montreal’s Quartango, comes to Vancouver from Germany. Mr. Sleking is based in Amsterdam, and works extensively in Europe both as a soloist and as a member of several high-profile tango ensembles.

www.laudatesingers.com

The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra presents

PLANETFUL OF SOUND

March 14, 2009 at 7:30 pm

Chan Centre for the Performing Arts – Telus Studio Theatre

Tickets $20/$10 at Ticketmaster

604-280-3311 or www.ticketmaster.ca

www.vi-co.org

The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra presents sounds of China, the Middle East, India and the West, in works by Vancouver composers Mark Armanini, Moshe Denburg, Lan Tung, Jin Zhang and special guest composer Joel Bons (artistic director of Amsterdam’s Atlas Ensemble): music that transcends cultural boundaries, performed on instruments from all over the world. For the first time ever at a VICO concert, the performance will include large-screen video, giving audiences an up-close view of the musicians and their instruments in action.

The VICO is currently the only professional orchestral ensemble in BC (possibly in Canada) devoted to performing inter-cultural music on a grand scale. Planetful of Sound offers VICO musicians and composers an exciting opportunity to connect with Joel Bons, who has been breaking similar ground in Europe with his acclaimed contemporary music group Nieuw Ensemble and the Atlas Ensemble. The latter is described (very similarly to the VICO) as “a unique chamber orchestra uniting brilliant musicians from China, Central Asia, the Near East and Europe, presenting an unheard soundworld of western and non-western instruments.” Like the VICO, the Atlas Ensemble’s repertoire consists almost entirely of specially commissioned works, by such composers as Guo Wenjing, Jia Daqun, Faradj Karajev, Fabio Nieder, Theo Loevendie , Frangiz Ali-Zade, Bun-Ching Lam, Jack Body, Stefano Bellon, Artjom Kim, Javanshir Guliev and Evrim Demirel. (www.atlasensemble.nl)

Planetful of Sound will feature the North American premiere of Joel Bons’ piece Tour à Tour as well as Floating on the Sea of Serenity (Armanini), Little Suite for Erhu and Harp (Zhang), Market Place, Chapter 1: China (Tung) and Camel Hop at the Caravanserai (Denburg), performed by a 22-member ensemble that includes zheng, sanxian,  santur, oud, dizi, bansuri, sheng, suona, flute, oboe, clarinet, marimba, Celtic harp, percussion and Western strings. The programme will also feature a solo by visiting Taiwanese musician Janelle Yichen on satar (Uighur fiddle from northwestern China).

In the VICO, Western-trained orchestral musicians rub shoulders with performers in musical traditions from all over the world…shedding light on the musical traditions of Canada’s many cultures and the myriad bridges between them. For more information on the ensemble and its upcoming events, please visit www.vi-co.org.

Planetful of Sound was made possible through the generous assistance of the Chan Endowment Fund of the University of British Columbia.