B.C. festivals plan for summer despite ever-changing COVID-19 restrictions

This is the third in a four-part series about artists, arts organizations and festivals trying to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the first part about the Eastside Culture Crawl here, and the second part about Goh Ballet's nutcracker reboot here.  

It may not officially be winter yet, but summer is top of mind for some B.C. artists and festivals trying to plan for the months ahead, despite ever-changing restrictions on events and gatherings because of COVID-19. 

Rainbow Robert, managing director of artistic programming for the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, says her organization's leadership team has been trying to figure out how to put together an annual event that usually draws thousands of music lovers over a 10-day period. 

"It takes a lot of ongoing adjustment, open-minded thinking and looking at different permutations," Robert said. 

So far, the festival has decided to present a mix of small outdoor and indoor concerts this summer. It will be a fraction of what the festival usually puts on, and organizers are prepared to pivot to an online format, depending on what the province's COVID-19 restrictions hold for the future. 

Best guesses for the summer

The festival's dilemma is echoed across Metro Vancouver and the province, as artists and organizations make their best guesses as to how the pandemic might unfold over the next few months. 

Last March, Coastal Jazz and Blues, the non-profit that runs the festival, had just put the final touches on its programming when the pandemic hit B.C. Organizers cancelled the festival shortly afterwards, when health officials put the kibosh on gatherings of more than 50 people.

Moving forward, then, became a matter of figuring out how best to support its artists and audience members.

They decided to put on a series of free online concerts filmed at Frankie's Jazz Club in Vancouver. They also commissioned 19 musicians to create new work while they were stuck at home.

'You have to be flexible'

Vancouver bassist Jodi Proznick and her jazz ensemble Triology were one of the six bands recorded at Frankie's. Proznick says she was grateful for the gig after all the spring tours and summer festivals she had booked were cancelled.

"I miss playing with people, for people, a lot," Proznick said. "It's not the same in my basement."

Over the past few months, Proznick, like other musicians in B.C., has been at the whim of the province's changing guidelines on social gatherings. In the summer, she played a few backyard concerts. Other shows have been booked, only to be cancelled as regulations change. 

"You have to be flexible. You can't attach too much to anything working out," she said. 

Criticism of restrictions

Some arts organizations have criticized provincial health officials for new regulations that prohibit all events and gatherings, including arts events.

Recently, a group of classical musicians in Victoria sent an open letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry for restricting gatherings, despite abiding by all safety protocols. 

"All the live concerts that had been planned and prepared with painstaking care over several months had to be abruptly cancelled without any warning or consultation, which has resulted in many thousands of dollars of lost revenues for the organisations and artists," the letter says.

Robert admits the restrictions have had a financial impact on her organization. Luckily, Coastal Jazz had had a couple of strong years going into the pandemic. Its title sponsor, TD Canada Trust, has continued its support as have the festival's public funders. 

Knowing that artists like Proznick were waiting in the wings, so to speak, is part of what prompted the Vancouver International Jazz Festival to offer some year-round opportunities and attempt to put on some sort of event for the summer. 

"We wanted to be really careful to serve the artists in a way that would have meaning to them," Robert said.