Ann Summers Dossena – Photo by V Tony Hauser

With her drive, imagination and accomplishment, Ann Summers Dossena has long been a leader in Canada’s music scene.  She is producer of Canadian Day, July 5 in Rome.  The event is presented by the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists, and will introduce 12 musicians, premieres by three composers; and two films featuring Glenn Gould, presented by music and dance columnist and lecturer, William Littler.  Photographs of Canada’s stunning vistas will be exhibited, and even Moosehead beer will be available.

Canadian Day is part of the week-long Le Nazione, The Festival of Nations, taking place in the gardens of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana in central Rome.  Three other countries – Norway, Brazil and Morocco – are also presenting their music and culture the week of July 1.  Canada is the first North American country invited to the festival.

Le Nazione offerings can leave indelible memories.  Last year, Summers Dossena attended a presentation of Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat (A Soldier’s Tale) from Burkina Faso.  “It was half in Italian, half in one of Burkina Faso’s native languages, and opened with a siren wail that made the audience automatically duck.  Then up the aisle came the cast. It was riveting!”

“Canadian Day,” Summers Dossena notes, “is an excellent opportunity for our country to offer Romans and visitors to the city Canadian performing artists who are emerging on the world stage – most of them making their Rome debuts – as well as European premieres of Canadian music.  Our videos and discussion about Glenn Gould will further deepen the experience of our culture.”

Information about Canadian Day is available at ircpa.net and will appear shortly at www.filarmonicaromana.org.

Summers Dossena adds “Anyone in Rome on July 5 should plan to join the fun from 5 p.m. until midnight.  The concert hall is air conditioned for afternoon concerts and films, and the garden at night for the jazz and world music is cool and beautiful.  Concerts are 10 Euros each or 15 Euros for both.  Everything else other than food and drink is gratis.  Norway produces July 1, Brazil parties July 2, and the mysteries of Morocco are on July 4. Canadian Day ends the Festival on July 5.”

For audiences back in Canada, a “welcome home” concert is scheduled Thursday, August 1.  It will feature the Toronto and Montreal artists direct from Rome at Toronto’s popular Lula Lounge (www.lula.ca).

ANN SUMMERS DOSSENA (www.sumarts.com/aboutus.html)

Since the late 1950s, the tireless arts manager has represented some of the world’s finest artists.  Originally from Toronto, she became involved in artist management in New York, where she also made a name for herself as a successful producer.  She produced the first concerts, including the Visiting Orchestra Series, in Carnegie Hall after it was saved from demolition; and events in the Lincoln Center Theatres as they were built.  In addition, she created the Concert Party series of classical concerts in informal settings, as an experiment in building audiences.

The success of her New York Concert Parties led her to try them in Rome in 1968 – coincidentally in the same gardens of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana where the Festival of Nations now takes place.  She had seen young people sitting on the Spanish Steps with money to spend but nowhere to go.

Subsequently, her marriage to Italian TV producer Armando Dossena changed her base to Rome.

In 2012, Ann Summers Dossena was presented with the first Manager of the Year Award at the annual Awards Ceremony and Luncheon of the North American Association of Performing Arts Managers and Agents (NAPAMA) and the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP).

INTERNATIONAL RESOURCE CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTISTS

Possibly Ann Summers Dossena’s most enduring legacy is the founding of the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists (ircpa.net), a registered charity.

Returning to Canada in 1977 after 20 years in New York and Rome, she saw a great need to help freelance classical performing artists make the transition from graduation to steady employment.  Since its incorporation in 1985, the IRCPA has encouraged and assisted in the development of some of Canada’s finest performing artists on international stages today, through Encounters with International Employers and Career Moves sessions offering practical business advice.  Its activities also help audiences understand and support the preparation and needs of the artists they will eventually enjoy in performance.

CANADIAN DAY:  SPONSORSHIP AND DONATIONS

Sponsors for Canadian Day to date include the City of Vaughan, Mirvish Productions, Mario Romano, Summers International, Lula Music and Arts Centre; Faye Perkins, Glenn Gould Estate; Brian Levine, Glenn Gould Foundation; and the President’s Fund, University of Alberta.

Donations may be made online at www.canadahelps.org.   Cheques made payable to the IRCPA may be mailed to IRCPA, 43 Bright Street, Toronto ON M5A 3H5, or using Visa faxed to 416-359-0043.  All donations will be acknowledged, and tax receipts issued for donations of $50 or more.

Aeroplan Beyond Miles’ Charitable Pooling account takes donations of travel miles.

- 30 -

For further information, contact:

Ann Summers Dossena
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists
Tel: 416 362 1422
Fax: 416 359 0043
Email: sumintl@rogers.com
www.ircpa.net

The evening will feature classical performances by three stunning talents – Montreal soprano Jana Miller,  Toronto clarinetist Kornel Wolak  and accordionist and pianist Alexander Sevastian.*in the first half.  The second half will showcase the Dominic Mancuso Group in his award-winning jazz and world music, as well as Edmonton violinist Guillaume Tardif.

The event is presented by the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists.  The charitable organization will use the income to offset the travel and accommodation expenses incurred to present these and other artists at Canadian Day, July 5 at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana in central Rome.  Canada was one of four countries invited to present its art and culture as part of the AFR’s weeklong Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations.

Doors open at 6:30 for dinner reservations, with the concert at 8 p.m.  Concert tickets are $25.  Dinner (with concert) reservations may be made by calling 416-588-0307, or made on line at www.lula.ca.  More information is being posted at ircpa.net.

Donations may also be made via Canada Helps.  Cheques made payable to the IRCPA (a registered charity), may also be mailed to IRCPA, 43 Bright Street, Toronto ON M5A 3H5, or using Visa faxed to 416-359-0043.  All donations will be acknowledged, and tax receipts issued for donations of $50 or more.

* Mr. Sevastian is substituting for Conductor/Pianist Jordan de Souza

- 30 -

For further information, contact:

Ann Summers Dossena
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists
Tel: 416 362 1422
Fax: 416 359 0043
Email: sumintl@rogers.com
www.ircpa.net

Winter Wonderland – by James MacMullin

Photographs of Canada’s seasons, wildlife, natural wonders and other scenes will be on display as part of Canadian Day, a day of Canadian music and culture, Friday, July 5 in Rome.

The pictures were taken by James MacMullin, a Glace Bay, NS born photographer who has lived, worked and studied across Canada.  They will be exhibited in the elegant and historic home of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana in central Rome.  Canada is one of four countries invited to present its music and culture during Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations, a week of one-day events hosted by the Accademia.  The other countries invited are Norway, Brazil and Morocco.

Among MacMullin’s photographs on display will be the ancient Viking settlements at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, Emerald Lake in Yukon, a Canadian Winter Wonderland, Backyard Moose, Gros Morne Caribou, Fall Colours in Muskoka, Niagara Falls,  Northern British Columbia Mountains, Snow Birds, Saluting History, Newfoundland Fishing Village, and Japanese Garden, Edmonton.

L’Anse aux Meadows – by James MacMullin

Photographer James MacMullin was born in Glace Bay on Nova Scotia’s beautiful Cape Breton Island.  He studied psychology, English literature and sociology at a variety of schools including St. Francis Xavier University, Cape Breton University and St. Mary’s University. After 15 years of working in the mental health field, providing education and support care to teens and young adults, he chose to change careers.

MacMullin is currently based in Toronto, where he is studying visual arts and education at York University.  He has lived across Canada – from Halifax and Miramichi on the Atlantic Ocean, to Edmonton on the prairies, and Vancouver on the Pacific coast.  In the process of travelling across the country, and from the Arctic Ocean to Antarctica, he has built a significant body of photographic work, much of which can be viewed at www.thunderfoxphotography.ca.

Emerald Lake, Yukon – by James MacMullin

Canada’s participation in Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations, is organized by the Toronto-based International Resource Centre for Performing Artists, with IRCPA Director Ann Summers Dossena as producer.  Information is posted at ircpa.net and will appear shortly at www.filarmonicaromana.org.

Sponsors for Canadian Day to date include the City of Vaughan, Mirvish Productions, Mario Romano, Summers International; Faye Perkins, Glenn Gould Estate; Brian Levine, Glenn Gould Foundation; and the President’s Fund, University of Alberta. 

- 30 -

 For further information, contact:

Ann Summers Dossena
Founder/Director
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists
Tel: 416 362 1422
Email: sumintl@rogers.com

Kornel Wolak

Kornel Wolak, one of Canada’s leading solo clarinetists, has been crossing the country this winter and spring, with performances in B.C., large and small prairie centres, Toronto, and elsewhere.  Then it’s off to Europe for concerts in his native Poland.  On July 5, he makes his Rome debut at Canadian Day, part of Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations.

The week-long Festival is hosted by the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, in its elegant building and grounds in central Rome.  There, Wolak will perform with fellow Canadian artists in three works.  With Vancouver’s Borealis String Quartet, he will be featured in Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. He will join Montreal-based soprano Jana Miller and conductor/pianist Jordan de Souza in Schubert’s The Shepherd on the Rock and the European premiere of Ashes of Soldiers by Colin Eatock

As the first North American country invited to Le Nazioni, Canada presents its culture in a week that also features the cultures of Norway, Brazil and Morocco. Canada’s participation is organized by the Toronto-based International Resource Centre for Performing Artists, with IRCPA Director Ann Summers Dossena as producer.  Information is posted at ircpa.net and will appear shortly at www.filarmonicaromana.org.

SPONSORS

Sponsors for Canadian Day to date include the City of Vaughan, Mirvish Productions, Summers International; Faye Perkins, Glenn Gould Estate; Brian Levine, Glenn Gould Foundation; William Littler, Toronto Star; and the President’s Fund, University of Alberta. 

However, $18,000 of the $70,000 budget must still be raised to help cover the costs of the artists, including travel and accommodation.   There are several ways to make donations:

Canada Helps is accepting online contributions, at www.canadahelps.org.   Cheques made payable to the IRCPA (a registered charity), may also be mailed to IRCPA, 43 Bright Street, Toronto ON M5A 3H5, or using Visa faxed to 416-359-0043.  All donations will be acknowledged, and tax receipts issued for donations of $50 or more.   Also,

Aeroplan Beyond Miles’ Charitable pooling account takes donations of travel miles at beyondmiles.aeroplan.com.

Donors of $500 or more will receive an autographed CD of one of the featured artists. For $1,000 or more, donors will receive a CD, autographed photographs from the Rome event, and a small gift from Rome.

A BUSY AND FRUITFUL YEAR FOR CLARINETIST KORNEL WOLAK

On Monday, May 13, 7:30 p.m., Kornel Wolak joins the Toronto Symphony String Quartet in the lush Brahms Quintet in B minor, in the TSO Associates’ Five Small Concerts series at Trinity St.-Paul’s Church.  http://associates-tso.org/5small.html.

The following day, Wolak leaves for a tour of recitals and master classes in his native Poland.  It will take him to ?ód?, Pozna? and four other centres, before he heads to Rome.  Joining him will be Joanna Zathey, one of Poland’s most sought-after piano collaborators.

As a soloist, Kornel Wolak (www.kornelwolak.com) has performed with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Sinfonietta, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Ontario Philharmonic, Poland’s Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra in its 60^th season opening gala concert, the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra, and Charleston (North Carolina) Symphony Orchestra, amongst others.  In a classical and crossover duo with pianist Chris Donnelly, he has won new fans on tours across Canada over the past three seasons, most recently on a tour through the Prairie Provinces. Next season, the Duo will perform with Orchestra London (ON).  Besides the May 13 Brahms Quintet performance, Wolak has collaborated with the Tokai, Wieniawski and Ontario Philharmonic Quartets, and Mexico’s Cuarteto Latinoamericano.

He recently formed the Wolak Clarinet Extravaganza Quartet, which includes Michael Bridge, accordion and piano; Michael Savona, guitar, and sopranos in classical and semi-classical music.  The group was launched in three Canadian cities, to standing ovations.

As a recording artist, he appears as soloist on a 2007 CD of Karol Kurpinski’s Clarinet Concerto, released by Channel II of Polish Radio – a CD that was nominated for Poland’s highest recording award, the “Fryderyk”; and on the 2009 Quartetto Gelato recording, Musica Latina.  He is also featured soloist on a recording of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and the Weber Concertino with the Slovak Sinfonietta.

Click here for more information about Canadian Day in Rome, July 5, 2013.

- 30 -

For further information, contact:

Ann Summers Dossena
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists
Tel: 416 362 1422
Email: sumintl@rogers.com
www.ircpa.net

Jana Miller, soprano and Jordan de Souza, pianist

Montreal-based soprano Jana Miller and pianist Jordan de Souza are amongst the 16 Canadian musicians making their debuts in Rome on July 5 as part of Canadian Day during Le Nazione, The Festival of Nations.

Miller, who is gaining recognition for her spirited performances and success in opera, oratorio and recital, will perform two works on a classical program – Schubert’s The Shepherd on the Rock, and Ashes of Soldiers, a 2010 composition by Canadian composer Colin Eatock, to a text from Walt Whitman’s poem Leaves of Grass. Joining her in both works will be acclaimed clarinetist Kornel Wolak and pianist Jordan de Souza, who is making a name for himself as both a versatile conductor and keyboard artist.

Canada has the distinction this year of being the first North American nation invited to Le Nazioni. Organized by the Accademia Filarmonica Romana and held in its elegant and historic home and gardens in central Rome, the Festival will also feature the cultures of Norway, Brazil and Morocco the week of July 1.

The Toronto-based International Resource Centre for Performing Artists is organizing Canada’s participation in Le Nazioni, with IRCPA Director Ann Summers Dossena acting as producer. Information is posted at ircpa.net and will appear shortly at www.filarmonicaromana.org.

DONATIONS NEEDED: The IRCPA is still seeking $20,000 of the $70,000 budget to help cover the costs of the artists, including travel and accommodation. While these costs are the responsibility of the guest countries, Canada has no program that can accommodate such international opportunities. The Accademia Filarmonica Romana provides the venues, as well as production and technical staff, and media office.

Contributions are accepted online through Canada Helps. Cheques made payable to the IRCPA (a registered charity), may also be mailed to IRCPA, 43 Bright Street, Toronto ON M5A 3H5, or using Visa faxed to 416-359-0043. All donations will be acknowledged, and tax receipts issued for donations of $50 or more.
Donors of $500 or more will receive an autographed CD of one of the featured artists. For $1,000 or more, donors will receive a CD, autographed photographs from the Rome event, and a small gift from Rome.

Find out more.

Guillaume Tardiff, violinist

Distinguished Edmonton violinist Guillaume Tardif, originally from Quebec, makes his Rome debut July 5 during Canadian Day, part of the week long Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations.

Tardif will be one of 16 Canadians making their debuts in The Eternal City.  In a program that features other fine Canadian musicians, he performs two evocative pieces for solo violin – Aria, a 1946 work by celebrated Canadian composer Jean Papineau-Couture (1916-2000), and the Grand Caprice on Schubert’s Erlkönig by Moravian composer Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1812-1865).

The Papineau-Couture is one of four Canadian compositions receiving their Rome premieres in Canadian Day.

This year, Canada becomes the first North American nation invited to Le Nazioni.  The Festival – held in the Accademia’s elegant and historic home and gardens in central Rome – will also feature the cultures of Norway, Brazil and Morocco the week of July 1.

Canada’s participation in Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations is being organized by the Toronto-based International Resource Centre for Performing Artists and produced by IRCPA Director Ann Summers Dossena.  More information is posted at ircpa.net and will appear shortly at www.filarmonicaromana.org.

GUILLAUME TARDIF, violinist

Born in 1975 in Quebec City, violinist Guillaume Tardif (www.guillaume.tardif.com) graduated with distinction from the Conservatoire du Quebec (Premier Prix), and received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music – as one of its youngest doctoral graduates.

Based in Edmonton, he is a faculty member at the University of Alberta’s Department of Music, currently overseeing its string and chamber music programs. As well, he leads Edmonton’s Enterprise Quartet and is president of the Alberta String Association. In addition to producing CD recordings, he has created a number of violin arrangements, cadenzas, and exercises.

Tardif has performed and taught at various musical institutions around the world and collaborated in chamber music with many celebrated colleagues.  In 2011, he presented the first performance of Raymond Gallois-Montbrun’s arrangement of Paganini’s 24 Caprices at Carnegie-Weill Hall. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras in South Korea, China, Peru, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Norway and Sweden.

Guillaume Tardif has been awarded various grants and distinctions – most recently Avenue Magazine’s “Top 40 under 40” award – for his multifaceted work, with research projects and contributions in the areas of international touring, sound and documentary recording, music arrangement, composition and pedagogy.

DONATIONS NEEDED: 

As of this week, $20,000. of the $70,000 budget is still needed to help cover the costs of the artists, including travel and accommodation – which are the responsibility of the guest countries.  Canada has no program that can accommodate such international opportunities.  The Accademia Filarmonica Romana partners with the IRCPA by providing the venues, as well as production and technical staff, and media office.

Contributions may be made at Canada Helps.  Cheques made payable to the IRCPA (a registered charity), may also be mailed to IRCPA, 43 Bright Street, Toronto ON M5A 3H5, or Faxed to 416 359 0043.  All donations will be acknowledged, and tax receipts issued for donations of $50 or more.

Donors of $500 or more will receive an autographed CD of one of the featured artists. For $1,000 or more, donors will receive a CD, autographed photographs from the Rome event, and a small gift from Rome.

Please Donate Today to support the artists representing Canada in Rome.

More about Canadian Day in Rome.

- 30 -

For further information, contact:

Ann Summers Dossena
Founder/Director
International Resource Centre for Performing Artists
E: sumintl@rogers.com
T: 416 362 1422
F: 416 359 0043
www.ircpa.net

16 Canadian artists will make their debuts in Rome July 5: Borealis String Quartet, Guillaume Tardif, Jana Miller, Jorden de Souza, Kornel Wolak, Mario Romano and 2 members of his Jazz Quartet, Dominic Mancuso Group

Premieres:

4 Canadian compositions will be premiered.

Colin Eatock: (1958 -  ) Ashes of Soldiers (2010)
European premiere
for Soprano, Clarinet and Piano
The text is based on a poem by Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass. The composer has dedicated this work to Alan James Eatock, his father.

Imant Raminsh (1943 -  ) String Quartet No. 1 (2004)
Rome premiere
Raminsh’s String Quartets No. 1 and No. 2 were commissioned for the Borealis String Quartet by Chamber Music Kelowna and premiered in Kelowna, British Columbia in 2005.

Jean Papineau-Couture: (1916-2000)  Aria (1946)
Rome premiere
for unaccompanied violin

Roberto Occhipinti:  Via Romano
Rome premiere
for Jazz Quartet, Piano, Bass, Saxophone and Percussion

CLICK HERE for more information and to donate in support of Canadian Day in Rome, July 5, 2013.

Borealis String Quartet | Photo: Steven Lemay

“The group’s sound was radiant from the elegiac Adagio to the defiant finale.”

– The Strad magazine

Vancouver’s dynamic Borealis String Quartet has performed to great acclaim in major cities across North America and in Asia, as well as in Europe. It is now set to make its Rome debut, July 5 as part of Canadian Day in Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations.

The quartet and other outstanding Canadian musicians will be presented in a day of classical and jazz concerts and other aspects of Canadian culture during a week of one-day events hosted by the Accademia Filarmonica Romana.

This year, Canada becomes the first North American nation invited to Le Nazioni. The Festival – held in the Accademia’s elegant and historic home and gardens in central Rome – will also feature the cultures of Norway, Brazil and Morocco the week of July 1.

CANADIAN COMPOSITION:

In addition to Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet with Kornel Wolak, the Borealis will perform the String Quartet No. 1 by Canadian composer Imant Raminsch. It is the first of two quartets commissioned from Raminsh by Chamber Music Kelowna and premiered by the Borealis in Kelowna BC.

The Borealis String Quartet (borealisstringquartet.com) was formed in 2000. First violin Patricia Shih, second violin Yuel Yawney, violist Nikita Pogrebnoy, and cellist Bo Peng pride themselves on compelling performances of the classics, as well as contemporary works by Canadian composers, and collaborations with artists on traditional Chinese instruments. Some of these are featured on the Quartet’s seven CDs.

Prior to its 2013 European tour, the Borealis travels in the opposite direction for a return tour of China and Taiwan, April 27-May 11.

From Rome, the Borealis heads to Italy’s Casalmaggiore International Music Festival, in its second year as quartet-in-residence, July 9-26.

After Italy, the Quartet returns home to perform on Hornby Island, and at a number of Victoria hospitals as part of its work with the Health Arts Society, reflecting its commitment to bring music to those isolated in residential care or in remote communities.

The Borealis performs on a fine quartet of Italian instruments dating from 1698 to 1791, on loan from Taiwan’s CHIMEI Culture Foundation, following its initial success in that nation.

Canada’s participation in Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations is being organized by the Toronto-based International Resource Centre for Performing Artists and produced by IRCPA Director Ann Summers Dossena. More information is posted at ircpa.net and will appear shortly at www.filarmonicaromana.org.

DONATIONS NEEDED:

As of this week, $20,000 of the $70,000 budget is still needed to help cover the costs of the artists, including travel and accommodation – which are the responsibility of the guest countries. Canada has no program that can accommodate such international opportunities. The Accademia Filarmonica Romana partners with the IRCPA by providing the venues, as well as production and technical staff, and media office.

Donations can be made by sending cheques payable to the IRCPA (a registered charity), and mailed to IRCPA, 43 Bright Street, Toronto ON M5A 3H5, or made on-line through the Canada Helps website. All donations will be acknowledged, and tax receipts issued for donations of $50 or more.

An autographed CD of one of the featured artists will also be given to donors of $500 or more. Donors of $1,000 or more will receive a CD, autographed photographs from the Rome event, as well as a small gift from Rome.

More about Canadian Day in Rome.

- 30 -

For further information, contact:

Ann Summers Dossena
Tel: +416 362 1422
Fax: +416 359 0043
sumintl@rogers.com
www.ircpa.net

In today’s economy, the age-old mantra of “practice, practice, practice” may not be enough to fully prepare musicians for a career, and in response emerging artists are taking advantage of an increasing number of entrepreneurship training opportunities at music conservatories. One closely watched program that got underway in September is supporting five innovative projects by Juilliard students and alumni during the 2012-13 season. The Juilliard School’s Jonathan Madrigano Entrepreneurship Grants provide up to $4,000 to current students and recent graduates to fund business projects, online platforms, products, films, interdisciplinary endeavors, performance projects, and educational initiatives. Among the projects receiving grants this season are a social media marketing and training program for artists and organizations; a professionally produced film showcasing Juilliard playwrights and composers; a music-education program for lower-income families that provides free music lessons, scholarships, and access to high-quality instruments; and a project that uses classical music to address the issue of student bullying.

The inaugural Madrigano grantees won funding for their ventures through a competitive application process during the 2011-12 academic year. As part of the grant program, Madrigano—a New York-based financial advisor—has been leading professional development sessions with guest speakers, as well as personally conducting business-strategy sessions with each of the grant recipients.

Recently, SymphonyNOW caught up with oboist Kristin Olson, a 2012 graduate of Juilliard’s Historical Performance Program who used her entrepreneurship grant to expand Reed Lizard, an oboe reedmaking business with an emphasis on Baroque oboe reeds. Olson—who also holds music degrees in modern oboe from the California Institute of the Arts and the University of Southern California—says that, like most oboists, she knew nothing about Baroque oboe reeds when she first turned her attention to Baroque oboe a few years ago. Olson says she is thrilled to be filling a special need for Baroque oboists, and enjoys making a business out of something she was already doing.

How Olson decided to apply for an entrepreneurship grant: An email blast went out last year to students at Juilliard, where I was in the Historical Performance program. I already had the oboe reedmaking business, but on a very small scale. I had a basic website, and a couple of customers, but I hadn’t done any marketing. I didn’t want to just apply for the grant to make more reeds or something—that wouldn’t make sense. I realized that I had this whole Baroque oboe thing going on, and wanted to expand my reach as an oboe reedmaker beyond “I got an order, I’ll make a reed and send it out.” I wanted to really influence how the next generation of Baroque oboe students grows up by having access to some reeds. So in addition to making reeds and expanding the business to have more customers, part of my application was having a better website that was easier to access and more visible, aimed specifically at teaching Baroque oboe reedmaking, seminars, classes, lessons, whatever it takes to get some of the knowledge out there about approaching this instrument. I also plan to visit music trade shows like IDRS and Boston Early Music Festival and say, “Here’s some stuff that you can go play the oboe with!”

“I thought that the grant would basically be, ‘You win! Here’s a $4,000 check. Bye, see you.’ It’s so much more than that.”

On the need for a Baroque reedmaking business: There are a ton of oboe reed makers out there, but in this country I don’t think there is anyone else doing Baroque oboe reeds. Before I came to the Juilliard historical performance program, I could not make Baroque oboe reeds. I had no idea what I was doing. It’s a separate process. In modern oboe reeds, we use a shaping template. You can get shaper tips for Baroque reeds, but you have to do it by hand. You’re eye-balling it and shaping it down to make it look beautiful. Until you’ve seen it done a few times you have no idea. On top of that, there just aren’t enough Baroque oboe teachers in this country. Unless you happen to be studying oboe in a place close to one of those main teachers, there’s no way you can start the Baroque oboe, because the reed is everything. Imagine trying to pick up the oboe if there was no standardized place to find out about reedmaking, no decent place to get reeds, or a teacher to show you not only how to adjust them but say, here is what it should feel like.

Modern oboe reeds versus Baroque oboe reeds: The ideal Baroque oboe reed is extremely stable. But Baroque oboes aren’t standardized. So you can’t put reeds for a Saxon oboe in an Eichentopf oboe. Now, if someone contacts me and asks me to make reeds for a Stainsby oboe or an Eichentopf oboe, I can say yes. I’ve made so many different reeds for so many different customers, that now I know what works and what doesn’t.

Profits and losses: I make a profit. There is a market price for oboe reeds that is anywhere from about $15 for student or more mass-produced reeds, up to about $25 to $30 for modern reeds labeled “pro.” The difference between “pro” and “student” reeds is not how hard or resistant the reed is to play. The ones that sound really good, that I spend a lot of extra time refining, those ones come with a premium: they go for $25. The ones that vibrate very fast and are very easy to play, that have a general level of stability but where the absolute level of sound production is a little lower, those reeds are $18. Anybody can play on them, and they’re going to sound great.

“Artists aren’t used to putting monetary value on the thing that they’re producing. Jonathan Madrigano inspired us to be confident that what we’re producing is a business and is worth this dollar price-tag.”

How Olson is using her grant money: I have a new website, and I worked on my marketing. I’ve been getting a ton more customers and orders since some of that has been in place. I hosted a public master class recently in New York for out-of-town Baroque oboists at an arts space I rented in Midtown. There was a small fee to attend. There were about twelve people in the room— I put the whole thing together in less than a week. A couple of the modern oboe players there have gotten interested in taking lessons, getting reeds, getting more information … which is awesome!

Learning to be an entrepreneur: Jonathan Madrigano is getting to know our businesses from the inside out. I thought that the grant would basically be, “You win! Here’s a $4,000 check. Bye, see you.” It’s so much more than that. So many of the things that I’ve done since September have been because I have a grant meeting with Jonathan the next day and my homework for the business was to write up a part of the proposal, or give a report on finances. It forces you to keep moving forward, whereas if you’re floating on your own, because it’s a lot of work, it’s easy to think, “Oh, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Jonathan gives us great assignments on how to take the next step. He inspires us to not be afraid—this is going to sound weird, but—not to be afraid to make money. Artists aren’t used to putting monetary value on the thing that they’re producing. He inspired us to be confident that what we’re producing is a business and is worth this dollar price tag. At the end of the year, all the grant recipients will have to offer a full report. Every time I request some grant money as we go along, I keep a log of it, because they’re going to want receipts. Jonathan is great, because he’s not a performing artist himself. He sees opportunities for marketing, for growth in ways that we would never think of, because as artists we don’t think about it that way. Business people think about it differently. It’s not just about profit. It’s about thinking about your value in a completely different way.

Why it’s good for musicians to have a side business: Even if you get an orchestra job, is that job going to be artistically satisfying, or monetarily or financially satisfying? What are you going to do if you win a great job and you like it, and it pays … $25,000 a year? You can’t raise a family on that. You can’t eventually buy a home on that. So what are you going to do? Teach, sell your reeds, you’re going to have some side business, take another job … there’s lots of things you can do, but not until you start thinking about it that way.

Below, a behind-the-scenes look at Kristin Olson’s reedmaking studio.

Evening Performances in the main garden

Each summer, Rome’s Accademia Filarmonica Romana invites countries to present their music and culture in a week-long Festival of one-day events, called Le Nazioni, The Festival of Nations.. This year, for the first time, Canada will be hosted, Friday, July 5 in the Accademia’s elegant and historic home and gardens in central Rome.

FIND OUT MORE