La Scena End-of-Year Donation Campaign 2021

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December 22, 2021

The donation campaign below was written before the new rounds of COVID restrictions due to the Omicron variant announced on Dec. 16 and updated on Dec. 20. Our planned Festival of Love for Feb. 11-14 which included our 25th anniversary Gala has been cancelled and replaced by our Singing Valentines Celebration (virtual concert and serenades). More details to come.

Wah Keung Chan

Donate to La Scena

December 14, 2021

Dear Reader,

As the end of the year approaches, I want to update you on the latest developments at La Scena Musicale (LSM) and inform you about our end of the year fundraising campaign and subscription renewal offer.

It has been over two months since the reopening of concert halls to full capacity. Arts organizations across Canada are slowly and cautiously resuming their programming.

2021 Subscription and Donation Drive

The pandemic has affected all media. In March 2020 we wrote to our regular supporters asking them to donate earlier in the year than normal. This helped us weather the storm. As the outlook remains uncertain, we hope you will continue to donate and help through a subscription.

As we mentioned before, La Scena Musicale was on track to complete a banner season before the coronavirus struck. Our annual budget depends largely on advertising revenue, most of it related to live concerts. For obvious reasons, there were many months of readjustment as concert and opera presenters sought new ways of bringing their vital services to the public. La Scena Musicale has worked cooperatively with these creative enterprises to ensure that the new culture of artistic innovation is widely disseminated in both French and English. We remain dedicated to the principle of bilingualism and full service to the Canadian arts community, both in print and online.

The obstacles remain considerable, as printing costs have risen five times in 2021 due to limited paper supply and advertising revenue remains limited. Government emergency grants cover only a portion of the expenses related to publication costs. The Wage Subsidy ended entirely in October. We have been fortunate to gather a dedicated team at La Scena Musicale and plan to add writers to our roster. Our switch four years ago to an all-colour format with increased content has been welcomed by readers. Our La Scena Tête-à-Tête series of online interviews is reaching a new and growing audience. This is no time to move backwards.

For all of these reasons I hope you will support us in our mission to provide engaging information and commentary on music and the arts. We at La Scena Musicale firmly believe that the arts will continue to thrive if given the support they deserve. You can affirm your own dedication to the arts by subscribing to the print edition La Scena Musicale – still, in my view, the most accessible and convenient format – and making a donation.

25th anniversary year

Our July/August issue represented the end of our 25th year of publishing. As evidenced by the publication of our six issues this season, the pandemic did not stop us from continuing to take pride in representing the music and artists of our country.

We have postponed our 25th anniversary celebration and turned it into the very first edition of a Festival of Love that will take place between February 11 and 14, 2022. The four day-celebration will include an in-person concert on Friday (11th), the in-person Singing Valentines Concert on Saturday (12th), a streaming concert on Sunday (13th) as well as our popular Singing Valentines Serenades on Monday (14th). We will release more details in January at myscena.org.

Another way to help is through merchandising in the LSM Boutique which includes our Greeting Cards and concert tickets, including to the 2022 productions at the Opéra de Montréal. Thanks to some donors, we are also planning an online auction with a notable auction house in March or April 2022. We are currently seeking arts- and music-related items such as paintings, sculptures, musical instruments and porcelines; and would show our gratitude with a tax receipt. Please contact [email protected].

The pandemic has caused setbacks but the arts will continue to thrive if people of good faith remain steadfast in their support. Please consider a subscription (or gift subscription) to La Scena Musicale and a tax-deductible donation. On behalf of our staff and contributors we thank you and wish you a wonderful holiday season and winter filled with music and the arts.

As always, La Scena Musicale maintains a vigorous presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Our website offers new resources daily. Pandemic or no pandemic, the arts will thrive. As will La Scena Musicale.

Have a happy holiday season!

Wah Keung Chan, Founding Editor and Publisher

P.S. We have included an envelope for your convenience. You can also make a donation or take out a subscription at www.mySCENA.org or by calling us at 514-948-2520 x 3.
P.P.S. Please note that all donations will be acknowledged with a tax receipt in late January 2022.