To general dismay, the Canberra Symphony Orchestra’s ever-popular Summer Prom, an open-air concert in the grounds of Government House, has been cancelled again, due to wet weather.
La Niña conditions present unacceptable risks to patron safety, as well as the risk of vehicles bogging, damage to property, and the inability to construct a stage, the CSO stated.
The event was last held in 2019.
“It’s a great blow to the CSO to lose such a significant community outreach opportunity, three years running,” a spokesperson for the Orchestra said.
Normally, the Prom attracts several thousand people, and the proceeds go not only to concerts at the Llewellyn Hall and other venues, but to music programs for health and wellbeing.
The CSO runs a music rediscovery program for people with hearing loss, run by a bassoonist who is an audiologist by day; a music and memory program for people with dementia, whose music memory is one of the last faculties to go; autism-friendly concerts and education programs; an art therapy program for people with Parkinson’s disease; and visits to hospitals and aged care.
The CSO also donates tickets to individuals and families in need; runs professional development programs for tertiary and postgraduate students who aspire to become professional musicians; and next year intends to help disadvantaged children without access to music lessons or instruments.
“There’s just so much work that we do off the main stage that is really important work in the community,” CEO Rachel Thomas said.
The CSO will hold its Fundraising Gala at the National Gallery of Australia on Friday 25 November, to support artistic and community programming.
It will, Ms Thomas said, be a “lovely evening” for attendees, “knowing they are helping raise money for our Orchestra, which is one of the gems of Canberra”. Tickets cost $295, including a $95 tax-deductible donation. This year features a silent auction, which is now live.
“The funds we raise there support the fundamental act of us programming and creating music,” Ms Thomas said. “We need to sustain our artistic work. We need to be able to plan for future programs and for orchestral activity, which keeps our musicians active and playing, and connecting with the community… The flow-on effect of having a vibrant orchestra is that we are able then to … participate directly in more community engagement programs…
“Performing on the main stage to large audiences allows us to be a cohesive group of musicians, who can then go out and do this community work.”
In addition, the CSO encourages the public to support the orchestra anyway they can, whether through buying tickets, subscribing, or philanthropic donations.
The CSO is “still very much a wonderful, thriving organisation”, but is feeling its way through difficult times, Ms Thomas said. Audience numbers are down, due to Covid; ACT audiences are the most reluctant to come back to live music, according to an Australian Council study.
“Buying tickets and coming to concerts to show support and allow us to continue would be really important,” Ms Thomas said. “Without that support, it’s very hard for organisations to keep going on, or to be able to plan with any certainty, not knowing whether audiences are going to come back or not.”
Since the pandemic, the CSO has had to rely more on philanthropy. The Orchestra is grateful for the government funding it receives, but that only forms a third of its income, Ms Thomas said. As Covid hit, income from corporate partnerships has declined dramatically.
“We’re on the lookout and would love to meet any corporate organisations that would be interested in partnering with the CSO, as well,” Ms Thomas said. “That’s another very practical form of support.”
“Every capital city needs an orchestra,” Ms Thomas believes. “That’s partly to sustain it artistically, but also an orchestra becomes part of the fabric of every community it’s in. Music can really speak to people in different ways. We see our artform as a very powerful way of reaching everybody … We really believe that every Canberran, no matter what their circumstances, should have an opportunity to benefit from what our artwork can give.”
The 2022 Fundraising Gala: All That Glitters will be held at the National Gallery of Australia, Gandel Hall, on Friday 25 November 6pm. For more information or to support the CSO through a donation or corporate partnership, visit cso.org.au
