Lazy July days are usually quiet on the administrative side of the arts. But not July 2020, which brought the bombshell news that Matthew White, head of Early Music Vancouver, was moving on to become general manager of the Victoria Symphony.
Even before the news had entirely sunk in, I reached out to White to discuss his decision.
The shift in career focus was all about opportunity, and White’s legions of Vancouver fans can only be pleased to hear of his new role. And he is confident he is leaving EMV in good shape.
Postmedia News talked to White about the legacy as successor to the legendary José Verstappen, artistic director emeritus, who retired in 2013.
“I’m very proud,” White said, “of having been able to build on José’s legacy of artistic excellence.
“Over the last eight years, while doubling the capacity of the organization, we have managed to maintain the superb musical level. It’s not very sexy to talk about financial stability, but we were never painted into a corner, and have managed to consistently increase the organization’s level of financial and community support.”
What about the shift to a mid-sized orchestra in a mid-sized town?
“Like EMV,” said White, “the Victoria Symphony is financially secure and has an extremely loyal audience. I’m told 74 per cent of the audience donated back their tickets when the season was shut down by the pandemic. So my sense is that the symphony is very well positioned to return to the market when it is possible.”
One thing will be very different about the Victoria gig: the number of players, some three dozen core instrumentalists plus a sizable staff. Does White feel prepared for new challenges?
“When I think about the reasons for EMV’s success, I think I am,” White said. “I’m not a complicated person to understand, and am myself an ex-musician, which should help.
“Transparency goes a long way, and they seem to me a particularly happy bunch in Victoria. Of course it’s a new challenge, but I believe I am the kind of person who can play this sort of role well.”
Victoria isn’t large. How can a professional orchestra working in a smaller centre stake out a winning role in the community?
“Smaller regional symphonies can create particularly loyal audiences and make a virtue of their smaller size. Though I will not be playing as big an artistic role as I did at EMV, I am looking forward to being part of the discussions about how we find repertoire and programming structures that make best use of the talent in the orchestra.
“I don’t start until October, but I already get the sense that the organization wants to respect the past while also being genuinely excited about exploring new ideas and new programming possibilities.”
One thing the Victoria scene has going for it is a “talent drain” from the mainland of creative folks, says White.
“There is a growing community of excellent musicians on the Island just because Vancouver has become too expensive for almost everyone.”
And it’s not as if White’s work with the Victoria Symphony won’t be informed by his deep roots in the early music milieu. The newly built early 19th century style piano, for example, could be a perfect instrument to use for concertos with a classical-sized ensemble, or even chamber music groups.
White is equally confident that EMV will find an exciting new director.
“There is such a wealth of talent out there,” he says.
“Given such a nimble and adaptable organization, they would be crazy not to spread the net as widely as possible. I’m excited to see what a new director can bring to the table — because the only way is up.”
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