Editorial

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This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)

La Scena Musicale’s Dec/Jan issue returns to a bilingual format. The cover features Hugo Laporte and Anne-Marine Suire in the upcoming production of The Phantom of the Opera in French translation in Montreal and Quebec City. Last month I promoted the idea that opera should start to be performed in the language of local audiences. They are already doing that in musical theatre.

The issue also includes a special section on the recording industry. The demise of the classical music industry has been predicted for years, yet recordings are still coming out. Just the means of ­purchasing (CD, downloads or streaming) have changed. We question Canadian labels — Analekta and the new label Leaf Music — on their thoughts. And ironically, vintage formats such as vinyl are making a comeback in pop music. We look at vinyl’s impact on classical and jazz.

We welcome Éric Larivière, who begins a new column on arts ­administration (see p. 24). With the approaching holidays, we have a section devoted to holiday concerts, gift ideas, and a Guide to Winter Festivals.

Last November 11, we held our first Mixer event to launch our November issue, during which clients, subscribers and donors met the featured artists. See pp. 14-15 for info and photos.

Subscription Drive & New Discovery Box

It’s no secret that the Internet is reshaping the media landscape. ­Advertising budgets are shifting. This impacts negatively our advertising receipts, which have traditionally accounted for 80% of La Scena’s revenues but have now decreased to 70%. Furthermore, a change in Quebec’s Mécénat Placements-Culture program mean that our three-year grant under Volet 2 will not be renewed, leading to a shortfall of $17,000 in this year’s budget.

Since 2001, La Scena has been recognized as a registered charity and all donations are gratefully acknowledged with a tax receipt. See page 19 for the list of our donors for 2017-18. We also take this ­opportunity to launch our year-end donation and subscription campaign.

La Scena is the only arts magazine in Canada that is fully bilingual and dedicated to serving Canadians across the country. If you subscribe, you receive each issue by mail (we also have an option for weekend ­Montreal home delivery) with supplementary translations in your ­preferred language. Every two-year subscription comes with a free ­commercial CD. This would make a great holiday gift for parents and grandparents or musicians and music students. See the subscription page on page 25.

Furthermore, we are launching the NEW La Scena Discovery Box, which will allow customers to discover concerts/events and recordings three times a year; it comes in a $99 package or a premium version at $299. See the article on p. 35 for more details. Any form of contribution is greatly appreciated and will go far in promoting artists here and abroad.

LSM Boutique

Thanks to our partners we have acquired tickets to select classical performances, including those of the Opéra de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, the acclaimed French pianist Lucas Debargue and many others. We sell these tickets to raise funds; LSM subscribers get a 15% ­discount. See www.mySCENA.org or sign up for our e-newsletter at [email protected].

Have a great musical and artistic holiday season!

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)

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