This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
As the end of our fiscal year approaches, I want to update you on the latest developments at La Scena Musicale (LSM) and inform you about our fundraising campaign and subscription renewal offer.
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 by buying or renewing a subscription.
Successful 2022-23 Season
LSM was on track to complete a banner season in March 2020 before the Coronavirus virus 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. LSM has worked cooperatively with these creative enterprises to ensure that the new culture of artistic innovation is widely disseminated. We are proud to be Canada’s largest bilingual arts publication with almost all content available in both French and English, both in print and online.
The obstacles remain considerable, as printing costs have risen seven times in the last two years due to limited paper supply, and advertising revenue remains limited and uncertain. During the pandemic, we took advantage of government emergency grants to keep our staff fully employed and productive, but the Wage Subsidy ended in May 2022.
We have been fortunate to gather a dedicated team at LSM and plan to add writers to our roster, but, with inflation, our staffing costs are also rising. Our switch six years ago to an all-colour format with increased content has been welcomed by readers. Our website, weekly e-news and La Scena Tête-à-Tête series of online interviews are reaching a growing audience.
Our June and July/August 2023 issues represented the end of our publishing schedule for 2022-23; we are proud that the pandemic did not stop us from continuing to present the music and artists of our country through our seven issues (six colour and one black-and-white). However, as I write this letter, LSM and all Canadian news media are being threatened by Facebook and Google’s blocking of Canadian news.
Upcoming Plans
For 2023-24, we plan to continue our national issues in both English and French editions; as special book-magazine issues are becoming more and more popular in the magazine industry, we plan to introduce some issues for 2024 including a special on composer Giacomo Puccini for the centenary of his death and a special on Handel’s Messiah. You can pre-order your copy today at a discounted price of $15 (instead of $20).
Thanks to youth employment grants, this summer, our website team is working on a new arts community platform which we hope will stimulate the arts. We are also planning to launch a Seniors Arts Club. Your donation and input (through our questionnaires on our website) will help to shape these new initiatives.
For 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 by making a donation. Donations made before the end of our fiscal year, dated on or before July 31, 2023, will ensure that we begin the 2023-24 season in a strong financial position. Please contact us for donations of stocks or for planned giving.
Another way to help is by buying merchandise in the LSM Boutique including our Greeting Cards. And don’t forget our personalized serenades to celebrate love with our annual Singing Valentines (for Valentine’s Day) and our annual Mother’s Day serenades. Please also consider a subscription (or gift subscription) to La Scena Musicale.
As always, La Scena Musicale maintains a vigorous presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Our website offers new resources daily. On behalf of our staff and contributors we thank you and wish you a wonderful summer filled with family, music and the arts.
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 x3.
P.P.S. Please note that all donations will be acknowledged with a tax receipt at the beginning of Feb. 2024.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
