Mayor hopes arts groups get financial haul at fall ball

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This article was published 06/07/2024 (455 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As arts groups continue to feel the pinch of the pandemic on their bottom lines, Mayor Scott Gillingham will throw a ball this fall to raise money for four of the city’s largest performing arts organizations.

All proceeds of the Winnipeg 150 Mayor’s Ball — to be held Oct. 5 at the RBC Convention Centre — will be directed to the Manitoba Opera, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

“I think all of us can agree that Winnipeg’s performing arts community is an important part of our city, And these organizations have played a vital role — a leading role — in our city’s story,” Gillingham said Friday at city hall during the event’s announcement.

There isn’t a fundraising target set for the $300/seat event, but “we want to make it as successful as we can make it,” Gillingham said.

André Lewis shares that hope. The artistic director of the RWB, who has been associated with the company since beginning as a student in the professional division in 1975, said the effects of COVID-19 on his organization are still being felt, even as ticket sales and subscribers slowly climb back to pre-pandemic levels.

Angela Birdsell, the executive director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, said that across the national performing arts sector, audience figures were still down about 30 to 35 per cent compared to before 2020.

Meanwhile, philanthropic giving to arts — much of which is driven by donors who are also subscribers and ticket-buyers — has experienced a similar dip, she says.

According to the organization’s 2022-2023 annual report, the WSO brought in about 67 per cent of pre-COVID (2019) ticket revenues, representing a major leap over 2021. This past season, those numbers continued to tick upward, which gives some reason for hope, Birdsell said.

“We’re not out of the water yet, but (rising sales) is a hopeful sign. The celebratory aspect of this ball and event is going to be really important for the city and province to really appreciate what we have in the city of Winnipeg.”

Royal MTC artistic director Kelly Thronton said her organization lost about 3,000 subscribers when the pandemic shutdown occurred. She noted that this past season saw the organization experience an uptick in single-ticket sales and improving attendance overall.

But “we need a long runway, and to have the city’s support is huge for us,” said Thronton.

Manitoba Opera CEO and general director Larry Desrochers said his organization’s subscriber base was down about 40 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels, but noted the company was experiencing a similar rebound.

Desrochers also cited a 2019 Winnipeg Arts Council report which indicated that the arts and creative industries in the city were worth $1.6 billion in real GDP. That report, called Culture to the Core, also included a poll that said 85 per cent of Winnipeggers thought it was important for the city to fund arts and culture.

The arts are key to the city’s well-being and especially to its downtown recovery, Desrochers said.

Gillingham echoed that sentiment, saying that the arts “have been, and remain, central to Winnipeg’s richness, vibrancy and appeal.”

Tickets for the ball, which will feature performances from each of the four organizations, are available at winnipeg.ca/150years.

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com

— with files from Joyanne Pursaga