edwin huizingaI am an artistic director, violinist, baroque violinist, experimentalist, and producer. I am speaking for myself, as myself, in the time of Corona. 

Of all the things I had planned, I have completely let go of performing live. I have had over 30 concerts cancelled, including a short tour, as well as multiple summer festivals, big and small. It is absolutely amazing how much I miss the opportunity to share with others, to feel the excitement and energy in a room full of people - there is absolutely NOTHING like it. 

Performing will be a thrill, and something I will jump at the chance to do once the situation allows. If it starts with the allowance of parties coming together in groups of 10 or less, I will begin by performing concerts for 10 people, Just think, I might even sell out my first concert after Corona! 

Instead of performing live right now, I’m looking inside, and discovering and noticing what I really really want to do, and to share in the future. I am also learning a ton about recording - have set up a personal recording studio, and I am even learning the basics of video. Things that we have to do all on our own at the moment to stay safe, and follow the protocols of distancing.  I am also teaching online, sending out words of encouragement to my staff, colleagues, and friends. I am also working hard with my festival to find alternative scenarios to concerts that have already been postponed, to outreach, to youth programs, all of which may or may not be in peril of having to be completely restructured and organized to be able to follow the rules and guidelines of today's world. I am also having fantastic meetings with fellow directors and composers and colleagues about things we can help each other with, and also reading a ton, and hiking - so much more hiking!!!! 

As far as getting ready for the time when I can perform? Well, I’m practising and recording so much, I think I’m going to have enough recital materials for multiple tours anywhere where people are willing to listen! 

The best way to get in touch is just send a message, tweet, gram, book, email, and even snail mail me - I’m happy to chat, discuss, and share my music. It’s a lonely world - and now some of us are forced to really really recognize and appreciate the need for community, the need for friendships, gatherings, and above all, well for me anyways, HUGS!!! 

I’m pinning myself, on this map to N0B 2J0 - Puslinch, where I grew up, my home for the first 18 years of my life, and where I hope one day, I can start a music school, a festival for the ages, a concert series, and SO MUCH MORE!!!!

I am a poet and critic who writes regular reviews for David Olds' "Discoveries" section in The WholeNote. column. I am single; with 3 grown children and a small grandson. But I live alone and only go out to attend concerts or exercise to keep a handle on multiple serious health issues.

Of all the things I have had to forgo since COVID onset, the hardest has been attending concerts at clubs and (my beloved) other venues e.g. Koerner Hall. I also had to forgo (this month) an opportunity to interview Elio Villafranca live at Lincoln Center about his new project.

First priority when circumstances permit? Getting  back to attending live events, of course. Meanwhile, staying touch with musicians I know to keep tabs on when they will perform live and/or go on tour keeps me occupied and somewhat hopeful.

To stay in touch with what I am doing, planning,and listening to: print and online media, social media, e-mail. 

For mapping purposes, home base is L9T 6Z5 (Milton, Ontario), but my heart is at M5S 1V6 (Koerner Hall).

Music has been a part of my life since I started playing in a Boy’s Band at age 13. Although I am a Life Member of the musicians’ union, in recent years most of my musical life has been in amateur organizations. For the past fourteen years I have written the monthly Bandstand column for The WholeNote.

What have I had to let go of completely since COVID-19 hit? Weekly rehearsals in three different groups, on three different instruments have all been cancelled. As well, at least three planned concerts have been cancelled.

As soon as possible I hope to carry on with all rehearsals and performances. Meanwhile I am researching a variety of musical topics. I also am doing some lonely practicing in an attempt to retain some level of proficiency. For people reading this to stay in touch, the best way would be by e-mail through bandstand@thewholenote.com.

For mapping purposes here, my home community is Goodwood, Ontario. This is a small hamlet in the Township of Uxbridge. Goodwood has now received some fame as the location where the TV show “Schitt’s Creek” has been located. I live across the street from “The Mayor’s House”.

I am a baroque violinist, a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Eybler Quartet, and I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. I play regularly with the Toronto Bach Festival, Theater of Early Music, L’Harmonie des Saisons, and occasionally I fly over to Europe for performances with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (London) and the Orchestra of the 18th Century (Amsterdam). I teach baroque violin at the University of Toronto, at Tafelmusik’s Summer Institute and at the Banff Centre for the Arts (for the Evolution: Quartet program).

Since COVID-19 hit, I have had to let go of all of my concerts and recordings thus far until August. That includes 2 St. John Passions (one with L’Harmonie des Saisons in Montreal, one with Tafelmusik), a St. Matthew Passion (Kalamazoo Symphony), a Bach program and a Handel program with Tafelmusik including a new Handel recording, performances at the Toronto Bach Festival in May, a chamber music program in Montreal with some colleagues and students, a few Eybler quartet concerts as well as recording a new Haydn CD, teaching at Tafelmusik’s Summer institute and at the Banff Centre in July….and more to come…

All of the groups are planning on some kind of postponement of projects, but time will tell what kind of format they will take. I think probably my work with smaller groups will resume more quickly than others, but also we may start doing things like streaming concerts, planning smaller concerts, prioritizing recording, etc. For some projects we are doing things online instead of in person (like the recent Aspylmayr online CD launch).

Right now it is a lot of planning, re-thinking, strategizing, learning new skills, and creating projects that will support the changing world of what it means to be a musician. I have been working on a new website. Almost everyone has been making videos - I have done a few for Tafelmusik and L’Harmonie de Saisons, Eybler Quartet is in the process of making videos to support our newly released Aspylmayr recording, and I FURIOSI is in the process of releasing some tracks from live recordings that we have made over the last 20 years. Having a break from the rigorous world of live performance is a welcome opportunity to reconnect with people, catch up on things that I have been “meaning to do”, and gives me some space (during panic breaks!) to think and create. I would say that I am also being buoyed and inspired by my incredibly talented, creative and imaginative colleagues all around the world. It is definitely a time like this that I am exceedingly grateful for online platforms keeping us connected.

As for how best people reading this can stay in touch … my new website!!! www.juliawedman.com. I have been working on this with one of my brilliant students and I am thrilled with how it’s coming together! It is a way for people to keep up with what I have been up to, watch videos, find links to my groups, to buying recordings that will give money directly to artists, AND, what I might be the most excited about – it is a place where people have access to resources that I love! There is a baroque music learning page with links to books and scores, and there is a wellbeing section with links to books, websites, articles and more. This is a collaborative effort so please send me a comment through my contact page if you have suggestions or resources that you would like to see added!

I’ve “pinned” my response on this map to Trinity-St Paul’s Church, Tafelmusik’s home base and my favourite place to work in Toronto. I love the acoustics, I love the energy of the space with all of the different activities that happen here, and I love all of the people - both at Tafelmusik and at the church. It is my musical “happy place.”

Speaking as director of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, we were lucky that our programming, for the most part, fit into the September – April university school year timeframe. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 cancellation involved five concerts and one film screening and it was heartbreaking to cancel these.

As to the question of following through on cancelled concerts, we have paid the artists and provided refunds for tickets to those who wanted them, as our 2020/21 season was already programmed. We had set aside savings from previous seasons that has enabled us to deal with COVID-19 related financial issues. (We had also done this at Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra when I was managing director there, to enable the organization to keep on steady ground with a buffer in funds set aside for future opportunities and challenges, whatever they may be.)

 COVID-19 measures are necessary for our society’s physical health, but they are hitting arts organizations so hard. I am glad that the governments are helping the sector. After all, the arts and cultural industries are a $54 billion industry and major employer/engager in Canada.

The silver lining is that our technological expertise is skyrocketing, and more importantly, I believe the focus on core priorities and valuing the artists and audience as the arts’ core stakeholders can lead to healthy developments in the sector. Baumol’s cost disease (costs rising faster than revenues) was already causing substantial structural issues.  COVID-19 has brought forward the tipping point, hastening the creation of  new structures to support the creation and production of the arts in a different way than has been the case through the latter half of the 20th century to now. Strong developments and innovation arise in hard times as we focus on what matters, and there will always be a great sense of purpose and urgency in making music that will propel us forward. 

As an example, we delayed our Bader and Overton Canadian Cello Competition and have converted it online. It’s currently planned for June 24-27, 2020, but we are waiting to hear about potential conflicts with the semi-finalists’ schedules. All semi-final and final performances will be webcast on CBC. After much testing, we will be using OBN streaming software with VIMEO ingest. We have purchased an excellent stereo microphone kit for each competitor to ensure the full high fidelity sound at the source including a WARM stereo microphone kit and FOCUSRITE USB interface and microphone stands. Jury members will be receiving high fidelity Sennheisser headphones.   Our own technical director has 20 years of extensive recording experience, and for this, we are very grateful (as we are for the support of Bader Philanthropies and CBC throughout the metamorphosis of the competition). 

We are also in the process of creating a digital concert hall for high quality performance films and high-fidelity streaming, and an online summer festival with local musicians. The musicians will be paid, and will go away with a high definition film/audio with which to promote themselves.

To stay in touch, watch our website as announcements come up at www.queensu.ca/theisabel,  and email us at The Isabel box office (IBCPAboxoffice@queensu.ca). We will also be posting on facebook facebook.com/queensuisabel.

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