Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra endowment fund builds connections

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This article was published 27/01/2024 (658 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The jazz hands are out and waving enthusiastically after an anonymous donor made a significant donation to the Winnipeg Foundation to start an endowment fund for the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra.

With matching funds from the Winnipeg Foundation and Canada Cultural Investment Fund, the nest egg will have a meaningful impact on WJO annual budgets for years to come. Donations will be matched by Canada Heritage.

The endowment fund will contribute to the WJO’s stability and sustainability, ease the financial pressure, and give staff and volunteers an opportunity to focus more on music and less on making ends meet, officials said.

“We are always busy writing grant applications,” said artistic director Richard Gillis. “Getting an endowment, we will have some interest on that yearly.

“It’s like having a sponsorship, you can plan ahead a little bit better,” he added, noting the WJO is dedicated to creating interesting programs that are both entertaining and grow its ensemble artistically.

Founded in 1997, and registered as a charity in 2000, the WJO, Canada’s first community-based, non-profit professional jazz orchestra, has become an important part of Winnipeg’s cultural landscape.

WJO is an instrumental force in the promotion and development of big band jazz in Manitoba and beyond through performance, composition, recording and education. It fosters big band music for its potential to nurture empathy, create human connection, and contribute to a more compassionate society.

With ongoing support from the Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Council, Winnipeg Foundation and other sponsors, the WJO is at the forefront of developing big band jazz by means of outreach, inclusion and collaboration.

Gillis knew he wanted to create something that would showcase jazz to a wide audience and, while teaching at the University of Manitoba he had a vision of what was possible.

“I was always involved in organizing stage concerts, dances — it just seemed like there was a need for that. There were lots of players around,” he said, wondering why there wasn’t something like a symphony, a big band, bringing musicians together.

Gillis connected with Sasha Boychuk, a local saxophonist who had the same idea, and together they began planning and holding concerts.

The WJO has since continued to expand on a number of various musical events, outreach activities and diversity initiatives.

Born in Saskatchewan, Gillis came to Winnipeg to teach at the U of M. As brass chair, he teaches trumpet players, runs the big bands and instrumental music.

“There aren’t many jobs that are better,” said Gillis, who appreciates working with students. “I get to play my trumpet every day.”

As artistic director of the WJO, Gillis said he doesn’t conduct all the shows but shares that role with others.

“We are diversifying our leadership and our musicians. It’s gratifying, playing wonderful concerts,” said Gillis, about doing the variety of shows involving the community. “With 17 or 18 players, sometimes more with guests, now we rotate more players in. What makes that exciting is the equity and inclusion.”

The WJO has been more focused recently on outreach to various communities for collaborations, including LGBTTQ+, French and Métis, and even teaching music of the Congo (East Africa). Professional development, education and outreach continue to be prioritized for the WJO.

“We are going to start putting on professional development where people aspiring to be WJO players can come out. We want to make the community a little more active — sophisticated in terms of knowledge — and work with jazz and big band and professional music in general,” he said.

‘We’ve always had from early on: school concerts, matinees, comp tickets to schools that normally can’t afford to come, WJO concerts, pre-concerts by school groups… workshops,” Gillis added, noting upcoming opportunities for children in and outside Winnipeg to audition for parts in shows.

“There are so many different styles of jazz, big band, small groups… What we are trying to do is make sure that we touch different communities, that we bring different things to people.”

Gillis said he hopes to bring the WJO into different spaces and encourages anyone with an interest to approach them with ideas.

“Some of the best ideas come from community, for programs, themes and locations,” he said. “Winnipeg is certainly known for music.

“I think of the people who are professional musicians; nobody got into it to make money. Artists of all sorts do not make a great wage. What is it that ties them to that? There is something else going on, the rewards of playing music… When we play a great concert, there’s nothing better. The power of music, the reaction — wow, this is incredible — when you get a spontaneous standing ovation, everybody goes home lifted up a little bit.”

In February, the WJO is releasing a new recording through Chronograph Records, a project featuring a joint commission between two of Canada’s finest big band composers: Christine Jensen (Montreal, currently teaching at Eastman) and Jill Townsend (Vancouver). There will be a pre-release concert Jan. 28.

Other upcoming events include the Swing Cabaret Fundraiser (Feb. 10) and Women-Led Jazz Symposium and Women’s Day concert (March 7).

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca