Dear music lovers,
We were all surprised and disappointed by the government’s announcement at the beginning of last week forcing us to close our concerts to the public until the end of October. This disappointment is all the greater because we had set up a rigorous public health protocol to ensure spectators’ safety, in collaboration with Place des Arts and the Maison symphonique. There have not been any reports of coronavirus spread during the concerts we have been giving in front of audiences since mid-September.
But the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, and we have no choice but to participate in this new effort required by public authorities. We consider this an additional gesture of solidarity and support for the entire population.
When we get the go-ahead to welcome the public back, we will still be able to count on the things that have been our strength for decades, such as:
– A group of exceptionally talented musicians
– Our high-level artistic ability
– A competent and creative administrative team
– A contingent of dedicated and passionate volunteers
– An impressive number of generous donors
– Prestigious sponsors
– High-quality artistic and educational partners>
– And, above all, faithful audiences who love the OSM
We managed to get through the first wave of the pandemic without weakening our artistic and organizational capacities. Thanks to our prudent management and emergency government assistance, we were able to weather the storm without compromising our financial future and we have been assured that this public support will be there again to help us through the coming weeks.
This summer, in addition to heading out to perform for thousands of people all over Montreal, we made good use of digital tools and strategies to maintain close and privileged contact with you. As a result, our summer online initiatives generated more than 1.3 million views and we continued to bring the benefits of classical music to the public.
We have started working on a plan to increase our online presence in the coming weeks. We will share the main elements of this plan with you shortly. At this time, we invite you to watch and listen to the webcast of concerts conducted by Susanna Mälkki, a conductor of international calibre. The two concerts will be broadcast, on Tuesday, October 6 and Tuesday, October 13 and will be made available online for seven days.
Last week’s government announcement is certainly a step backwards for us, but the OSM intends to continue playing its role as a unifier and a bearer of hope. Thanks to classical music, we have the ability to mitigate the impact of this ordeal that is shaking up our society. We are staying the course and will continue to put our best efforts forward to support you during this period of great uncertainty.
Thank you for your loyalty to the OSM.
Regards,
Madeleine Careau
CEO