“The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra invited 1,000 newcomers to their performance Sunday afternoon free of charge,” writes Teghan Beaudette in Sunday’s (2/19) CBC News (Canada). “The performance, called Once Upon A Dance, featured dance troupes from across the province performing works from Manitoba’s history. Programs were offered in Arabic, and the English portions of the performance were translated into Arabic for the audience. ‘We just said, “OK, what can we do that will actually be a very special kind of welcome for new Canadians,?” ’ … said WSO executive director Trudy Schroeder. So they teamed up with the Canada Council for the Arts, the Winnipeg Foundation and SunLife to make it happen. At first, they offered 600 tickets, but soon those were accounted for and another 700 people were on the waiting list…. Schroeder said the response was so overwhelming they may consider doing similar performances in the future. Even Mayor Brian Bowman made an appearance…. ‘Early indications are this is something we should do again, but I think the beautiful thing is that culture and music does in fact cross across so many lines. People can really understand each other and appreciate the value and beauty of what people do in the arts.’ ”
Posted February 22, 2017
