The ZOOM link will be sent to you in a separate email.
This has been a historic year for everyone. Your Rotary club has achieved great success in our contributions to Service, plus our membership growth, over the past few years. We want to maximize your Rotary Club experience so that you feel vested and excited about your contribution of time and energy.
The District leadership team and the Club Strategic Planning team will test the strategies identified by club members to date.
We are now putting our Strategic Plan together. At this meeting we hope to validate our future planning and direction for club goals for the next three years.
Be a voice at the planning table.
This is YOUR Rotary Club.
Please help us to make the most of your experience as a Rotarian and member of the Rotary Club of Niagara On the Lake.
- President Ken opened the meeting with a toast to the Queen, Canada and Rotary, and then led members in reciting the ‘Four-Way Test’.
Jody Buholtz introduced the meeting’s guest speaker, Brad Thachuk.
Bio
Bradley Thachuk is the Music Director of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Canada, entering into his 11thseason as their artistic leader and conductor in September 2021. He is also the Conductor for the ‘Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s BPO Rocks!’ series, Conductor and Arranger for Steve Hackett’s ‘Genesis Revisited’ project, and a lecturer in Orchestral Literature at the world-renowned Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Presentation
Brad discussed his programming philosophy that is aimed at the community. In contrast, he does not believe in the philosophy of ‘we can’t compete with the TSO and its large budget, so let’s play obscure pieces.’ Brad highlighted how the thinking “we’re not big enough for this” in a smaller community such as NOTL is incorrect.
Brad discussed the various phases of growing public interest in the Orchestra:
- Stability - can we maintain getting the audience into the hall? i.e. Brad is concerned about people who used to attend, but no longer can.
- Getting more people into the hall - by improving on excellent musical pieces.
- Brad noted that classical music will outlast other forms such as jazz. And that the Orchestra level develops through playing the classics.
- Expanding the knowledge and taste of the audience.
Brad outlined how over time he has elevated Canadian content by including longer pieces of different Canadian composers, including indigenous people. Looking forward over the next 3 years, Brad’s upcoming work will feature 2-3 female composers.
Challenges outlined by Brad:
- Needing to improve the music programs in the schools in the early years.
- Bringing the Orchestra into Niagara is tricky as finding appropriate venues is difficult. (St. Marks Anglican Church is the best venue in NOTL.)
- It is difficult to be in NOTL in the summer as there is so much already going on here.
- Playing outdoors is expensive, and you need to deal with the variable weather.
It was asked “what can our Rotary club do to explain the benefits of having a symphony orchestra in our region?” Brad responded with “by increasing awareness of the orchestra through Rotary’s contacts.”
