Trudy Schroeder, Executive Director W.S.O.
Bob Antymniuk introduced our speaker tonight. Trudy Schroeder is the Executive Director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Trudy describes herself as a community development activist with arts and culture as the means to build stronger, healthier, more vibrant places for us to live. She agrees fully with the co-founder of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, that “Communities get the culture they deserve.” Winnipeg is a city that is rich in arts, culture, and heritage…both the quality and quantity are outstanding for a community of this size. Since returning to her hometown of Winnipeg in 1995, Trudy has been involved in building and connecting people and ideas with the arts.
Trudy has been the Executive Director of the WSO since July 2008, and she held a similar position with the Winnipeg Folk Festival for ten years prior to that. Earlier in her career she worked for the City of Ottawa in the field of cultural policy development, arts facility development, heritage preservation and business communications. She was involved in the development and management of Arts Space, (Ottawa`s Municipal Arts Centre) and she was the General Manager at Arts Space (a refurbished 1874 courthouse) prior to her move back to Winnipeg. She came to the business of arts management through a love of music and performance.
She holds a MBA from the Asper School of Business, a Performance Singing Degree from the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, an Arts Management degree from University of Ottawa, and a B.A. (Political Science) from University of Winnipeg. Trudy`s husband of thirty-seven years, and two daughters are generally good humoured about their involuntary conscription into all kinds of projects related to music and festivals.
Trudy has a special interest in the rehabilitation of heritage buildings to serve artistic purposes. In Ottawa, she worked with the community to transform the 1874 Provincial Courthouse into Artspace, and she later became its General Manager. Here in Winnipeg, she was active in saving the old Ashdown store on Main Street from the wrecking ball, and later the Winnipeg Folk Festival had its administrative offices in that space, and now she is working on getting the City of Winnipeg to do the right thing and transfer ownership of Pantages Theatre to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Trudy currently serves on the board of the Winnipeg Executives Association and also on the steering committee of the Canadian Arts Coalition. She has served as president of the board of Orchestras Canada, president of Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, and on the boards of Concordia Hospital and Concordia Foundation and the Premier`s Economic Advisory Council Task Force on Arts and Culture. She has been recognized as a Woman of Distinction by the YM/YWCA, received several awards for community service from the Mayor of Winnipeg, was the recipient of a Blazers` Distinguished Alumni Award, in 2013 was the recipient of a Queen`s Diamond Jubilee Medal, in the summer of 2014 received the Winnipeg Folk Festival`s award for Distinguished Service, and was recognized as a distinguished leader by Tourism Winnipeg in 2016.
Trudy indicated that it was truly a pleasure and privilege to be at our Rotary meeting tonight. It is enjoyable to meet with like minded people that activity support their community.
The following are examples of some of the upcoming WSO activities.
- New Music Festival – the WSO will be taking part in the Festival with an Outside concert. There will be an amphitheatre constructed on the river with seating for 500. Instruments will be made out of ice as will the bar for refreshments. If you haven`t already purchased your tickets, you are too late. The performance is sold-out!
- The WSO is 71 years old. Next year in May of 2020, the Orchestra will be travelling to the Netherlands. This trip is to recognize the 75th anniversary of the liberation of that part of Europe after WWII. There is a strong connection to Winnipeg with PPCLI as well as The Fort Gary Horse being involved in the liberation 75 years ago. The organizers are trying to locate any vets or family and friends of vets that may have had some connection to the events that took place there 75 years ago. They would like to get photos and stories from these people. There will be a tour group that will accompany the WSO on this trip. There are 120 people already signed up for the trip and it hasn`t even been officially advertised. In the past when the WSO went to Carnegie Hall in New York City, the accompanying tour group had 950 people.
- It is very hard to talk about music, that would be the equivalent of dancing to discuss architecture. Here is an open invitation for Rotary club members to come and hear the music. On February 22nd, 2019 the WSO will be presenting Star Wars vs Star Trek. Contact Elaine Thompson with your request to attend and Trudy will have two free tickets at the Box Office on the presentation date held in your name.
LEADERSHIP LESSONS
- Pull together a great team of professionals and give them the instruments that they need. At the WSO auditions are ‘blind’. The musician will sit on one side of a panel buffer with the selection committee on the other side. They go through three auditions during one day with different selection committees. If they are selected, they have a two-year conditional contract. After that two years they receive tenure. A position in the organization for life.
- People must be organized in the right way. They must be put in the correct position for the best results. In the orchestra this results in the ‘sections’. This way the sound mixes the best way and people that must be able to see each other during the performance are able to.
- The ‘boss’ must be the person at the front waving his arms all over the place. Right?...well yes and no. Leadership is shared by the Musical Director (conductor) and the Executive Director, equally. There is also a Community Board.
- Ever notice that one member of the orchestra that always comes in late? This is the ‘Concertmaster’ Gwen Hoebig. A great musician, she asks the oboe to play an ’A’, the sections then take turns tuning to that note. A lot of the orchestra will actually be looking at Gwen for the ‘beat’ of the performance. If things are going well during the performance she will be relatively still, however, if the piece is going off the rails Gwen will be rocking back and forth to indicate the ‘beat’. The other individual that was great to watch for an indication of the ‘beat’, prior to cutting his hair, was Yuri Hooker the principal cellist. All examples of sharing the load of leadership by properly assigning duties to others in the organization.
- Each leader must know their position in the organization. In the WSO there was a fight between the tympanist and the musical director. The tympanist was saying that “he was the leader of the back”. This turned out to be absolutely correct. An example that the person to go to is not always who you may think.
- What does the conductor (musical director) do? They are there to inspire the others, provide tempo and give musical vision to the organization.
- The audience also helps to provide a great performance. If they are enjoying the performance, then the musicians tend to perform to a higher level. It gives them something to strive for.
- The WSO is a community asset. The organization provides a series of programs. There are 7 educational programs operated by the WSO. They range from the K level up to university.
- Sistema Winnipeg is offered in the inner-city at two schools, Elwick School and King Edward School. Sistema Winnipeg is a music program that changes lives. It is a daily, intensive, music education program that focuses on children with the fewest resources and greatest need. It delivers musical training to children after school for three hours a day, five days a week, at no cost to their families. Sistema Winnipeg encourages children to reach their full potential and inspires greater social change within the community.
Sistema Winnipeg is a partnership between the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Seven Oaks School Division and Winnipeg School Division. In 2017-18, the program engages 160 children in grades 1-8 at two ‘nucleos’ or school locations. Approximately 49% of Sistema Winnipeg students are Newcomers to Canada, and 36% come from an Indigenous background.
This program uses the power of ensemble music to dramatically change the trajectory of children’s lives, through philosophies of inclusion, teamwork, artistic excellence, intensity, mentorship, and community focus.
Q/A
1.- Bob Antymniuk questioned if the orchestra musicians are paid at varied levels.
A.- Yes, there are 7 or 8 levels of renumeration. The WSO is also contracted to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Manitoba Opera.
2.- Bob Antymniuk also wondered if being a professional musician in an orchestra in Winnipeg is a good living?
A.- Yes, considering the cost of living in Winnipeg vs. other large cities in Canada. The WSO is the six largest orchestra in Canada.
3.- Jack Wilson wanted to know how many people are employed by the WSO.
A.- 100 employees. There are 67 in the actual orchestra and the rest are support/office employees.
4.- Peter Tonge requested information on the Pantages Theatre and future ownership.
A.- The City of Winnipeg has decided to NOT transfer ownership to the WSO even after it has been the WSO that has been looking after the day to day operations of the Theatre for the past 8 years. The WSO is quite disappointed with this decision to go with another proposal.
5.- Brian Campbell wondered how many practice sessions the orchestra would get together for a performance at an outside venue.
A- These are top professional musicians. They do not need much group practice to get a musical piece correct. Perhaps two sessions for most pieces.
6.- Roh Goenka asked what is the difference between a good musician and a great musician?
A.- Quality of soul, a great ear for music. Someone might be a great technician on the instrument, but can they blend with the rest of the orchestra.
7.- Ed Thompson assumed that it must be difficult to produce the WSO with the movies.
A.- It is a lot of work. This year the WSO with play along with the movies Amadeus and Harry Potter.
8.- Chuck Crocker questioned how the audience differs for Harry Potter verses a regular performance.
A.- Differs in a great way. The audience is much younger, millennials from many ethnic backgrounds.
Darvin Jasper thanked Trudy for her presentation tonight. Darvin advised Trudy that the President of the WSO Board, Terry Sargeant, is a good friend. He has stated that he hopes Winnipeg residents realize how lucky they are to have you at the WSO as the Executive Director. Trudy was also advised that a donation in her name would be made to ShelterBox.
