Dear Xenia Family,
This Giving Tuesday, we are reflecting on the growth that comes from facing continued challenges. Thanks to the strength of our community and the creativity of our team, 2021-2022 was a year of transformative growth for Xenia Concerts. Here are a few things we accomplished last year with the support of our funders and donors like you:
- Completed the ground-breaking sound.colLAB program, in which seven participants of identify as neurodivergent or having a disability worked together with nine professional musicians to compose a new work for The Rolston String Quartet: Seven Miniatures for String Quartet and Electronics. We presented the first performances of the work in Toronto this July, and in Calgary this August. More performances are planned in 2023, and the recordings will soon be available on our YouTube channel.
- Presented 15 sensory-friendly and dementia-friendly concerts through partnerships with TO Live, Hand Over Hand, Alzheimer Society of Toronto, and Sunshine Centres for Seniors
- Reached over 900 audience members with sensory-friendly and dementia-friendly programming (an increase of over 80% compared to our previous year)
- Presented our first sensory-friendly concert in Parry Sound, ON, through a new partnership with Festival of the Sound, Hands TheFamilyHelpNetwork, One Kids Place, ASO, and Autism Ontario
- Developed the Xenia Concerts Artist Training Program, which launched this September
We have ambitious plans for 2022-2023, and you can help make them happen! Here’s what’s happening this year:
- 14 sensory-friendly concerts (twice as many as last year!), including the return to Flato Markham Theatre and our first concerts in North Bay, Stratford, Campbellford, and Halifax
- 7 dementia-friendly concerts, delivered in person and online in partnership with Alzheimer Society of Toronto and Baycrest@Home
- The launch of the Xenia Concerts Artist Training Program, which teaches professional musicians how to design inclusive, accessible events
- A new series of educational music videos for children with exceptionalities, created in partnership with The Lotus Centre for Special Music Education
- The launch of our new Accessible Concert Training Program for Young Artists, in partnership with Scotiafest
- Our first D/deaf-friendly concert featuring musical ASL interpretation by Phoenix the Fire, in collaboration with the AGO (details to be announced soon!)
Here’s how your donation will be used:
$10-50 Send a child or a senior to a concert
$51-100 Fund the creation of an accessible e-program
$101-250 Help us provide visual aids and other accessibility features for one concert
$251-500 Help put one artist through the Xenia Concerts Training Program
$501-1000 Sponsor one artist’s performance
$1001-5000 Sponsor an ensemble for one concert
$5001+ Want to make a big impact? Write to me at rory.mcleod@xeniaconcerts.com to discuss funding opportunities for our upcoming projects.
As always, if you have suggestions for how we can make our concerts and the broader performing arts scene more accessible for individuals and families in the neurodiversity and disability communities, please don’t hesitate to let us know!
Sincerely,
Rory McLeod
Executive and Artistic Director
Xenia Concerts
DONATE TODAY