#mark haney

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[falaiseparkmusic-blog]

The Last Post

There's that moment in any new relationship when you realize you've finally let go of the old one. Walking through Mountain View Cemetery (where I'm now Composer in Residence and Little Chamber is Ensemble in Residence) for an hour yesterday morning, looking at the monuments and the views, I finally felt like I had let go of Falaise Park. Our residency there was one of the best experiences of my life, and though I miss it I finally feel a sense of closure.

Diane and I cleaned out the studio almost a month ago, but I couldn't really bring myself to write the final post for this project……it seemed like there was still unfinished business.

Part of that was the big question: What did we learn? In just over 2 years in the Falaise Park field house studio we certainly did a lot:

- A 6 month composition project with a 4th grade class at Thunderbird School

- Several special events including Draw Down at Trout Lake (with Danielle Girard as Betttsy Fruittty the butterfly), Canada Day at Thunderbird CC, visits to community groups and more

- Sunset Sounds for two summers, including special guests Sarah Wheeler, MACHiNENOiSY Dance and Adrian Verdejo

- East Side Animals engaged over 75 students in grades 1-5 as young composers. We created 8 themes to match some of the animals in Falaise Park's pebble mosaic; these were then woven into a 30 minute piece for narrator and 8 musicians which was performed for a capacity crowd in the Falaise Community Hall on Family Day weekend in 2014. 

We are incredibly lucky in Vancouver that professional musicians of the highest calibre are happy to take part in projects like this. We had members of the Vancouver Opera, Nu:BC, Novo Ensemble, Standing Wave and more performing the piece, and they not only brought their musical skills but great humour and good will. Thanks to all of them, as well as our mask performers (Koralee Nickarz and Danielle Girard) who brought the animals to life and Diane for leading the mask making workshop so the kids could be their favourite animals.

And then there was "11", a project that grew beyond our expectations and an event that was successful beyond our wildest dreams. It feels like we're still disseminating that event; there were so many aspect to it, not just the day itself but the 6 months of meetings and research, our exhibit at the Roundhouse and my 11 days composing in the gallery as part of our installation, the performance of "11" at the opening of All Souls at Mountain View Cemetery (in the worst possible weather, including lightning and high winds) and many conversations and meeting with people who grew up in the Falaise community.

photo by Tim Matheson

**All photos of "11" by Angela Fama. 99 year old D-Day veteran Edmond Champoux, guest of honour.

"11" also was our largest step into creating projects that are truly inter-arts. From our display of archival photos, to Diane's video installation and our recordings of Edmond Champoux telling his stories and the care and planning Diane put into the visual presentation of "11" it really took our work into another realm and to a higher level.

Almost two years ago I wrote this blog post about why we were doing the things we were doing, and I think I agree with this even more now:

"It’s time for the performing arts to let the rich people go and start actually connecting again. If the arts truly have the power to unite people, and I believe they do, then it’s time we moved beyond the limited scope we have now (everything to please the donors!) and began engaging on a level beyond ‘what we need to do for grant money’."

I think, more than anything, "11" proved this point. We received so much feedback from that event. It really touched and effected people, and it really touched and affected us; as people, members of the community and artists.

"11" had the pleasure of being turned down by the Canada Council for the Arts on a few occasions, the last time for a Community Arts grant. The reason was that the jury didn't see how the community members were affecting the musical outcome.

So the first lesson we've learned is this: We need to stop defining how people engage with community arts projects, and let them engage on their own terms.

Betty Helden didn't write a single note of the score, but her telling me about the relationship between her parents directly led to large revisions in the two trumpet parts that were representing Frank and Laura.

Joe Iaci was represented by the tuba because of the stories Edmond told me about him, and Edmond's part was shaped by our conversations with him.

The piece is built around 11 one minute sections, each of which is a question asked to the 11 veterans represented in the piece. These questions had been determined months before I began writing at the Roundhouse, and with 3 days left of my composing time there they were completely overhauled and the piece changed drastically. This happened because of conversations and comments made during my time in the gallery. 

I think these kind of engagements are just as valid and valuable as more hands-on kinds, and I this project proves it. The people involved were deeply invested, like Betty and Edmond, even if their quantifiable engagement doesn't look impressive on paper. Lori only came to one public meeting, but she drove from Surrey in the rain to be there and to share her stories and pictures. On paper saying someone came to one meeting and then the event doesn't impress the funders, but maybe we need to dramatically review how we measure these things because I know what the event meant to Lori. And I know what being part of it, in a small way to some but a meaningful way to her, meant. 

And Lori's pictures and stories made their way into the music, without a doubt. Maybe I can't point to a specific note and draw a direct link, but she was the first to talk about all the war brides and the feelings of isolation many of them experienced. This was reflected in one section of the piece, where the veterans who lived in the Renfrew Heights Veterans Housing Project get a moment of their own.

We've also learned a lesson that we're really taking with us to our time at Mountain View Cemetery: People really do want to engage in contemporary arts, they just may not want to go to a theatre or concert hall to do it.

As arts practitioners we may have to really deal with this, and soon. We keep having the circular conversations about how to "attract" more people and "engage" more people and "build' audiences, but I sometimes wonder how genuine the conversation is. Are we actually trying to "engage" and "build", or are we simply trying to convince more paying audience members to get with the program?

Along with getting rid of financial barriers, which we've done quite successfully, we've also begun to clearly see that one of the roles of small, nimble arts organizations is to reach out and create things for alternate spaces and communities. To build ties to communities other than the ones who have disposable income to spend on a $50 ticket on a Friday night. To engage not with people, but with their imaginations. To touch and share the parts of our humanity that the arts touch deepest; those parts beyond words, beyond cleverness and spectacle, the places that artists across centuries and cultures have tried to share and describe.

And perhaps the biggest thing we've learned, and by far the most important, came to Diane and I both as we descended the hill on November 11:

This is what we want to do, and we're good at it.

Large scale community events that combine music and other art forms to create an experience we can all share and be part of, that's what we're all about.

Projects like these are a lot of work, "11" was essentially full time for me for 7 months and Diane for 4. They're not the easiest projects to get funding for, because a lot of funding streams are very discipline specific and are confused by complicated, inter-arts works. The weather can be terrible, things will go wrong and a million other little reasons that make large, multi-partner community projects more difficult than you want or need them to be.

But we love it. And we're good at it.

And we'll be back at it on June 21 at Mountain View Cemetery with a Summer Solstice event that will feature music (including a new composition by me), a strong visual element by Diane and a community dance piece.

The dance piece grew directly out of Diane and I taking part in Le Grand Continental at the PuSH Festival. For 3 months we rehearsed two or three times a week; we were two of the 70+ community dancers taking part in this amazing project by Sylvain Emard, and being in someone else's process and project was the perfect thing to do after "11".

Not only was it a great time, and a lot of good work, but dancing in Le Grand Continental really gave us a deep insight into what it's like to put your trust in an artist and a project and let yourself go on the journey. We are constantly asking others to trust us and come with us, it was an education to put ourselves in that position.

The solstice dance project is open to everyone, and there is no cost. We will be led and choreographed by Jessica Barrett, there will be live musicians and rehearsals will be starting in March (Monday evenings, 7-9). If you'd like to be part of it, please email [email protected] and we'll make sure you get the updates.

Please consider becoming a donor to The Little Chamber Music Series That Could! We are in the middle of our 25th Anniversary fundraiser; we're looking for 250 people to each donate $25, and we're over halfway there. If you've made it this far in this post you know the kind of projects your money will help support. Simply click the link to CanadaHelps below, or mail a cheque to 

308 East 23 Ave, Vancouver BC, V5V 1X5.

Thank you to everyone who was part of the last two years, all of our partners and funders, the artists and the audiences. It was a life-changing experience.

[littlechambermusic-blog]

Season Ending Presentation for our Relaunch Year!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for George Sprott's 120th birthday on Sunday! It was a great event, and a pleasure to premiere excerpts from "Omnis Temporalis".

Our Artistic Director gave a presentation on what the series has done, what it's going to do and why we're doing the things we do. Below is that presentation in full, since we feel it's good information to share with the Little Chamber community.

Thank you all for coming this afternoon to our season ending birthday party for a fictional character. Somehow it really seems to fit into Little Chamber’s style.

My name is Mark Haney, I’m the Artistic Director of The Little Chamber Music Series That Could. I’m also frequently the double bassist and/or composer for the series.

Before we get into “Omnis Temporalis”, which will be a large part of Little Chamber over the next 2 years, I wanted to give a brief overview of what we’ve done during our relaunch season and our plans for next year, as well as an idea as to why we’re doing these things.

The Little Chamber Music Series That Could was founded in 1990 and quickly became a Vancouver institution. In early 2002 artistic director, and good friend, Wallace Leung died very unexpectedly, and the series became inactive for almost a decade before we relaunched this past fall.

To make a brief detour; last night I met a young violinist who often plays with the VSO and is playing in Bard on the Beach this summer. When she said she had grown up in Tswassen, I asked if she had played in the Delta Youth Orchestra when Wallace conducted them.

Her response was that Wallace was the reason she was a musician, that his love of music and joy of sharing it made her want to be able to play better and better. 

Wallace was the person who brought me into the Little Chamber fold over 15 years ago, and I truly hope we can continue to inspire like he did.

My own reasons for taking on the relaunch of the series, and trying to grow it stem from this:

I think the classical performing arts aren’t approaching a crisis point, I think we’re past it. We’ve lost relevance within our society, and before we go pointing fingers at TV and Netflix and what have you, we need to admit to decades of cultural snobbery, academic pretension and elitism. And recognize the damage that’s been done.

While I was starting to plan the series relaunch, I toured western Canada with a program of contemporary, Canadian solo double bass pieces. All the performances were in non-traditional venues, and never for “new music” or “classical music” audiences.

I began each performance with an apology for the wrongs I mentioned before. I told the audience that all they needed to have a valid, informed opinion on a musical performance was to be in the room and be part of it. To open their ears, their hearts and minds and experience it. Together, with other people, in a room. More than anything I extended an invitation into a world of sound and music that was important to me, that I wanted to share with them.

The response I got has shaped everything Little Chamber does. After every show people wanted to talk to me, to tell me that that is exactly how they felt: alienated from this kind of music, looked down on for not being an expert. But more than anything they wanted to talk about the music, because they had invested in listening. 

The goal with my own work and the work the series is doing is to somehow try to mend these fences and bridge the gap that exists. This is why we have a strong focus on bringing creative work out to the community, and why our concerts are usually free; economic barriers are part of the problem.

Our relaunch season has been a success beyond any hopes we had, and it was due to the amazing efforts of not only all the artists who have worked with us, but also our incredible donors and volunteers. 

In particular, recognition needs to be given to our board president, Dr. Marc Lindy who has been an amazing support and resource. Before East Side Animals Marc had me on co-op radio for an entire Saturday morning talking about the series and the project, and has been an incredible asset to the series. 

We’ve had many great volunteers this year, but I wanted to give a special thanks to Koralee Nickarz, who not only has helped with every event but was also one of the mask performers for East Side Animals.

And of course, none of this would have been possible without the tireless work of our amazing General Manager, Diane Park. Diane has gone so far beyond the call of duty over the last year, and without her efforts as both an artist and administrator our relaunch season simply wouldn’t have been.

For our relaunch season, Little Chamber officially began presenting music again last summer with sunset sounds in Falaise Park.

  At the same time the series was getting moving again, I was given the opportunity through the Vancouver Park Board to be the Field House Artist in Residence for Falaise Park in East Vancouver, through to the end of 2014. As a result, Falaise Park and it’s unique history play a large part in Little Chamber’s activities.

Sunset sounds is 90 minutes of looping double bass, ending at sunset. It was meant as a way for people to engage with sound on the same terms they engage with a public space; their own terms. The audience is free to wander, chat, play, whatever. The sound and music are meant to enhance the park, not take it over.

This summer we will be presenting 4 sunset sounds, and our July and Aug events will have special guests and surprises. 

This past season our major community music and composition project was East Side Animals. Inspired by a pebble mosaic in Falaise Park (slide), we worked with almost 100 school kids in grades 1 & 5 to develop musical themes for 8 of the animals in the mosaic.

Mark McGregor, who will be playing flute this afternoon, was part of the writing process and his presence in the class really brought out some strong opinions on the nature of the Shakuhachi effect.

After working with the classes for 8 consecutive weeks, I then wove the themes into a 30 minute piece with narration, which we premiered on Family Day weekend in the Falaise Community Hall.

Marina Hasselberg, who is playing cello today, was one of our incredible performers for East Side Animals. Marina and her cello portrayed our wise owl, Professor O. Other animals included Pinky the Salmon, Sir Chubby the Bear and Justin Beaver.

All the names and the elements of the themes were chosen and voted on by the classes. The analogy I always used was that of a community garden: If someone plants just one thing, they feel ownership of the garden. They feel they’re a part of it.

By having parts of a large musical piece, performed by 8 of the city’s best musicians, immediately recognizable as something they helped create, the students felt a deep and meaningful connection to the work, the process and the performance.

This season’s community project is meant to celebrate on honour the unique history of the Falaise Park area, which is also known as the Renfrew Heights Veteran’s Housing Project.

Developed in 1948 as housing for veterans, this unique subdivision was created with modest, affordable houses that were quickly filled. The area was nicknamed Diaper Hill, veterans with children were given preference for housing so often the clotheslines of every house were all full of diapers.

Working with different community groups over 6 months, I’ll be developing a musical piece based on the war records of 11 veterans connected to the area. On Remembrance Day there will be a performance in the southernmost section of the park.

Each of the 11 trees that climb the rise will have a musician at it, each musician representing an individual veteran. At the top, with it’s stunning vista of the city and the mountains, will be a solo trumpet, calling the other instruments to tell their stories.

Intended as an immersive sound experience, the audience will start at the top and walk down the rise during the 11 minutes of music.

Recently, at the first public meeting for 11, we had musicians try this section of park out for sound, and I think the final event is going to be a truly beautiful occasion.

As well as the final event on November 11 and the monthly meetings, 11 also has 2 other elements that echo events from this past season.

Last fall our relaunch party was a new music costume dance held at the Roundhouse, and featured Nicole Lizée and Saskpower from Montreal, along with 3 Vancouver musicians.

Dressed by Diane in classic Trek uniforms, we presented an evening of Nicole’s music and video art in an event that I will always be very proud of.

This year we’ll be at the Roundhouse from September 14-25 as part of an art exhibit called “State of the Practice”. During these 11 days I will be in the gallery composing 11, and talking to people about the project. There will be a strong visual element with photos from war records, the neighborhood and images the community members choose to share. 

I’ll also be working with an elementary school class at the Roundhouse to create the simple phrases the solo trumpet will use to signal each of the 11 sections of the piece.

Last October we presented the world premiere of a new work by Nicole Lizée at Mountian View Cemetery as part of All Souls, and everyone had such a good experience we’ll be back at All Souls again. This year, we’ll be presenting 11 in a site-specific way designed for Mountain View.

I’m very pleased to be able to say that we were recently told that we’ve been given the opening night of All Souls this year, Saturday October 25.

I’m also very pleased to report that the piece we premiered last year, “Ouijist” (as in Ouija board) is going to be on Nicole’s new album and her and Ben Reimer, percussionist extraordinaire, will be coming back to Vancouver in August to record it with the group from the cemetery show: Mark McGregor on flute, Rebecca Whitling on violin and myself on double bass.

Along with all of this, the schools and teachers we worked with last year are going to be involved with 11 in a variety of ways, making it a very large, but very exciting project.

I’d also like to say that for over a year and a half now I’ve been working with public school classes and teachers, mainly at Thunderbird School which is, to say the very least, under serviced and lacking in resources.

The teachers I have worked with there do so much to try and inspire and educate the kids in their classes, and in this time of unrest, strikes and lockouts, I want to say that myself and Little Chamber wholeheartedly support our public school teachers.

To round out our 2014/15 season we have 2 other great concerts.

One, very near and dear to my heart, will be a concert celebrating the lowly and often maligned double bass. I’ll be playing some Canadian works, there will be at least one other performer TBA and Torsten Mueller will be improvising as only Torsten can.

Torsten and I actually share a birthday, November 25, although he has a few years on me, and from the first time I saw him play I have been in awe of how much he communicates through music.

And at the end of the day, that’s what it is all supposed to be about. We’re supposed to be communicating with music. On a level beyond verbal, beyond words and beyond culture. The universe is made of mathematics and numbers, and sound and music is the act of breathing humanity and life into those universal truths.

Our final concert is an exciting co-production with Music on Main. Together we’re bringing Toronto’s Thin Edge New Music Collective and Montreal’s Ensemble Paramibo to the Fox Cabaret in April. They’ll be performing 3 new Canadian works, Steve Reich’s Double Septet and Louis Andriessen's Worker’s Unite to the Fox Cabaret; a program not to be missed.

That’s our season for next year, but as I mentioned earlier Little Chamber was founded in 1990, which means we have a birthday coming up.

For our 25th Anniversary in the fall of 2015 we’re going to be premiering 2 new works.

The first, a theme and variations by Little Chamber legend Cam Wilson. Each variation will touch on an element from Little Chamber’s history; like an important piece or person. We’re putting together an ensemble of 13 musicians, and we’re really looking forward to adding a new Cam creation to the Little Chamber canon.

The second work is Beethoven 25. This was inspired by a fan-made version of Star Wars you can find online. Everyone took one shot and remade it themselves; these were people from all over the world with experience and budgets ranging from zero to more than you’d expect.

The end result is often jarring, somewhat disjointed and frankly quite beautiful.

For Beethoven 25 we’re slicing up the first and fourth movements of Beethoven 5 and getting 25 Canadian (mainly BC/Vancouver) composers to arrange the pieces which we will the stitch back together. Each of the 25 composers will get a crack at the famous first movement theme and some Beethoven chords to play with.

The hope is to post bits online as they come in, so that the composers can adapt and shift things to each other’s work. Or not. It’s a bit of a free-for-all.

Also as part of our 25th anniversary celebrations we will be presenting my piece 3339 for free in Robson Public Square. 3339 takes the most famous Canadian story, that of Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope, and puts it into the context of the Hero’s journey as identified by Joseph Campbell.

We will be presenting this several times for free on the day of the 30th Terry Fox Run in September 2015.

Which brings us to Omnis Temporalis.

I’ve been an admirer of the acclaimed Canadian cartoonist Seth for a long time, and when I put out my album Aim for the Roses I sent him a copy along with a request to do something with his graphic novel George Sprott. I connected with many of the themes in the graphic novel, and maybe more than I’d like to admit with the main character, and had an idea of something to do with it.

Not only was Seth interested, we’ve since become friends and he is both a supporter of and participant in this project. I asked if Seth would write a few words for today, since it seems odd to celebrate George’s birthday without comment from his creator.

"When Mark Haney contacted me a few years ago to inquire if I might be interested in allowing him to use my George Sprott book as an inspiration for a series of musical compositions, I was enormously flattered. I immediately consented. Let's be honest-- The world of the comic book artist couldn't be much further away from that of the Classical musician and even though the graphic novel has risen up the ladder to respectability in recent years it has certainly not yet joined the ranks of the gentle arts.    

I was more than willing to bask in some reflected High-brow glory from Mark's work.  Especially so, after I listened to a piece of music he'd written based on one of my earlier books. It was sublime. As soon as I heard that music I understood that in one of my rare, wise decisions I had allied myself with someone of genuine talent and sensitivity.  

I am thrilled that he has carried forward this project with such enthusiasm and dedication and I wait anxiously to see the work in it's final form. 

As for George Sprott himself.  Well, George was something of a vulgarian at heart -- more likely to listen to Mantavani or Percy Faith than Bach or Handel.  He tended to scoff a bit at the arts in general --more at home in an Octoberfest beer hall than a concert Hall. Still, that said, I know he'd be flattered too. George would be happy with anything that shined the limelight back in his direction."

Seth

Originally serialized in the New York Times magazine and later expanded and published as a book, George Sprott tells the story of complex man, who, maybe, nobody really knew, and who never let anyone except his beloved niece Daisy get close to him.

It also, like a lot of Seth’s work, is about a Canada that is hard to find now. Small cities with their own quirks and flare, local TV that produces it’s own shows, a place where a practitioner of even the most arcane art can find an appreciative audience and a living, a time before our culture became homogeneous. 

An idealized past, of a Canada that may or may not have ever existed. Except in Dominion, as created by Seth.

Yes, Seth actually built cardboard models to create the city of Dominion, it all it’s past glory. 

Our plan with Omnis Temporalis is to produce it as a live show in an art gallery, and Seth is not only willing but eager to design the set and other aspects of the production in his unique style. 

This project actually began it’s life in an art gallery; in 2012 I spent 2 weeks in the Richmond Art Gallery composing the themes and figuring out the structure for the piece.

It was my first experience with bringing the composition process into a public space, and the impact this experience had on me is what led to much of the work the Little Chamber Music Series is doing now.

I realized that to most people, the act of creating music is something completely foreign and mysterious. It’s usually done behind closed doors, and it is assumed there is much gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair. More than anything they felt is was something they shouldn’t intrude on, and I ended up telling people all the time that it was OK to talk to me.

And here’s George Sprott himself, Mr. Richard Newman who has been committed to this project for as long as I’ve been working on it. Richard is one of Vancouver’s finest actors, recently recognized for his performance as Shylock at Bard on the Beach, and he is also a very in-demand voice actor with an endless stream of credits. Plus, as a former local TV star he brings an insider knowledge to old George.

Perhaps most importantly, he’s also a good friend.

Before we play the excerpts we have prepared for you today, I just wanted to explain a bit about the project since it has many aspect to it.

First and foremost, Omnis Temporalis is going to be a vinyl record and digital release on Redshift Records. The album art will be created by Seth, based on the score I created based on his work. It’s a lovely feedback loop.

Hidden within the music and dialogue on the record, as well as in the art, are clues to a real-world treasure hunt. The treasure is a physical object with both artistic and financial value, and it will be hidden in a specific place in Canada. 

I wish I could tell you where, it’s so awesome. But I can’t. I can tell you that one of the biggest clues is at the very beginning of the prologue, which we are performing today. It won’t be easy to decipher, but all the information needed to find the treasure is hidden in the first moments of the piece.

To release the album and start the treasure hunt we will be presenting Omnis Temporalis as a live radio show broadcast from CDBS Radio in Dominion. This will be a run of live performances in an art gallery, inside an installation set by Seth like the North Star Theatre he created for another gallery show.

The audience and performers will be transported to Dominion, where the characters at CDBS will bring Omnis Temporalis to life. But only for a brief moment, because Omnis Temporalis; everything is temporary.

To start, I wanted to share the George Sprott theme and a few of it’s variations with you. At it’s heart, George’s theme is a simple and mildly sad 3 notes.

The George Sprott theme is woven throughout the entire piece, popping up pretty much everywhere. Nowhere is it as perfect as when Diasy, George’s beloved niece sings it.

We’re thrilled to have Dory Haley with us today playing Daisy and other parts, it’s her first time with Little Chamber Music, but undoubtedly not the last. Daisy sings 2 songs about her uncle George, and they both start with the same line, my favourite line in the whole piece.

And now, the world premiere of excerpts from Omnis Temporalis.

[littlechambermusic-blog]

Be Part of "11", a Community Music and History Project

We're excited to announce that our large project for the fall is getting underway; we'll be working with many groups from the community to create a musical and visual experience at 3 unique events this fall.

Everyone is welcome to participate in this unique project, we're having monthly planning meetings starting in June, please join us!

For complete details, please click here to go to Falaise Park Music's page about the project.

[falaiseparkmusic-blog]

A Question of Community

Last week I attended Where Next BC, a gathering of arts organizations and arts funders to talk about the challenges we all face today and moving forward. There was a lot of very interesting discussion, some great speakers and a very open dialogue. But I couldn't help but feel that one thing was missing.

We talk a lot in the arts about "critical self reflection"; in fact proving we engage in critical self reflection is part of the application procedure for some funding avenues. We are asked to look at ourselves and see our faults and shortcomings and look for ways to address these. This is a good thing.

So why don't we do it as a "community"? 

It's taken for granted that all of us involved in the arts are a community, and to a certain extent we are, but there is room for improvement and it seems like very little time is spent looking at that.

No time is spent thinking about or discussing whether or not the people at the top, the big institutions, have any responsibility to their community. People in the arts are usually quite willing to bash corporations who will destroy and burn in the name of money (there was no shortage of that at Where Next), so why is it OK when we do it to ourselves? 

Knowing that every single grant program will have far more applications than funding available, that every dollar received from a grant program is a dollar another arts group does not get, should there not be a time when our large institutions decide not to throw their hat in the ring?

According to the BC Arts Council's listing of 2012/2013 recipients, the VSO received 1.2 million in operational funding, an amount no other organization gets. By an incredibly large margin. This is twice as much money as the second biggest recipient (the VAG received 643K) and more than twice the total operating amount given to all Professional Dance organizations combined.

So did they really need to apply for the Innovations program? A competitive program with limited funds, if the VSO hadn't applied the 29K they received would have gone to another arts group. There was also the money from the Special Projects - Capacity and Sustainability program (22.5K), the Co-Op Placement program (17K) and 35K from the touring program.

Is this appropriate? If the arts are struggling enough to have gatherings to talk about how to deal with it, shouldn't part of the discussion be the "I've got mine" business model the biggest mouths at the table have adopted?

Did the Vancouver Opera really need the 5 thousand dollars they got from the Metro Vancouver cultural grants program (a program with very limited funds that generally only offers small amounts)? Will that amount even be noticed by an organization that large? 

5K means the world to small groups and programs, the kind shut out when all the "bigs" line up to make sure they get theirs first.

It also needs to be noted that when money goes to a small group, almost the entire amount ends up going to the artists living and working in our city. I'm not sure you can say the same when those dollars go to an institution with it's staff, infrastructure, etc.

This is a key point, because a question that comes up a lot is "how can we keep artists from leaving BC"? The answer is not simple, but a big part of it is "make it possible for them to earn a basic living". And I say this as a professional artist in BC who earns below the poverty line.  

That is not a plea for sympathy: I could make more money doing something else or by altering my practice (more teaching for instance), but I'm passionate about what I do and think it has value for the community. So I'm willing to take on some personal debt so that I can write East Side Animals with 100 kids. And I'm not alone, there are amazing artists all over BC doing this. 

That's right, all over BC the people at the bottom of the arts funding ladder will make financial sacrifices, personal sacrifices and time sacrifices in order to see their work realized. Where is this sense of responsibility at the top?

[littlechambermusic-blog]

Thanks to All Our Animals!

The ESA crew: Diane Park, Mark Haney, Mark Ferris, Marcus Takizawa, Megan Bradfield, Jeremy Berkman, Marina Hasselberg, Ingrid Chiang, AK Coope and Paolo Bortolussi    photo by Wayne Worden

Almost a year in planning, it was great to have a full house last Saturday for the premiere of East Side Animals.

Based on 8 animals themes that were created last fall with over 75 students in grades 1&5, East Side Animals was created to bring people into Falaise Park through the arts, and to use music to celebrate this area and it's unique history.

photo by Wayne Worden

Big thanks to our musicians, all the kids and parents who came out and our mask making leaders/mask performers Danielle Girard and Koralee Nickarz.

Danielle Girard as Boom Boom the Woodpecker

photo by Wayne Worden

Koralee Nickarz as Lady A. the Crow

photo by Wayne Worden

The biggest thanks goes to the 3 schools, Vancouver Christian, Nootka Elementary and Thunderbird School, but especially the teachers: Mrs. Chan, Mr. Wu, Mrs. Samra and Mrs. Holmes. Without the students and the cooperation of the teachers, this project wouldn't have been possible.

Beware Sir Chubby the Bear!

photo by Wayne Worden

We also would like to thank our community partners, the Renfew Community Centre, the Park Board, A Plus Printing, Our Town Cafe, the Vancouver Academy of Music, the Hamber Foundation and the BC Arts Council.

photo by Wayne Worden

Extra special thanks goes to Karmen Ingram and Fraser Robinson, who sponsored individual instruments for the East Side Animals project. Karmen, who plays Principal Bassoon with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, sponsored the bassoon chair. The bassoon portrayed Ms. Cranium the Crane and was played by Ingrid Chiang.

Fraser Robinson sponsored our flute chair, occupied on Saturday by Paolo Bortolussi. The flute brought life to Boom Boom the Woodpecker, the most scattered of the East Side Animals.

photo by Wayne Worden

From start to finish the entire project surpassed expectations, and was an amazing experience for not only the students, but Mark, the guests and all the professional musicians.

photo by Wayne Worden

photo by Wayne Worden

[falaiseparkmusic-blog]

East Side Animals and next year's Remembrance Day project are part of the Little Chamber Music Series' Newsletter

Click on the photo to read the newsletter, including a video of the East Side Animals creation process.