Regina Symphony Orchestra sees ticket sales climb after pandemic dip

After a tough start to the year, the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) says it has seen ticket sales increase over the latest season, which began in September. 

In March, RSO musical director Gordon Gerrard told CBC that before the pandemic began, the orchestra could expect to fill 1,200 to 1,500 seats in the 1,900-seat Conexus Arts Centre. But during the 2022/2023 orchestra season — which began in September of last year — Gerrard said they were only about to fill about 400 of those seats.

That resulted in the RSO having to cancel multiple April shows.

But on Friday, Gerrard told CBC that ticket sales are on the rise.

"I'm happy to say that we're definitely in a better position than we were last season," Gerrard said. 

"Not to the level of before the pandemic, for sure. But I'm really happy to see that it seems like people are starting to go out again. It's a big relief for us and now we're just sort of trying to build on the momentum again."

Gerrard said audience members are now numbering between 800 and 1,000. He said that while these are still smaller turnouts than before 2020, he has hope that the RSO is heading back to similar territory.

Tamsin Johnston, principal oboist for the RSO, said seeing more people at this season's concerts has meant a lot to her as a performer. 

"You just get a much greater sense of that warmth and love from the community when not only are they supporting you in the ways that are sort of external to the concert halls, such as giving donations  … but they actually want to be there in the room with us while we're making music. It's truly heartwarming and just really exciting to see that growth," said Johnston.

The role of music during tough times

The effects of the pandemic have been hard on many, but Johnston said there are many national and world events over the last year that have made life feel extra difficult. Those include the ongoing war in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, the devastating wildfires across Canada and inflation.

"It's quite a long list and it's one of those lists that doesn't seem to be getting shorter," Johnston said.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been deeply troubling to me. We have a large Ukrainian community in southern Saskatchewan and many of those folks are involved in classical music here, or they just love classical music and they come to the concerts."

Johnston said that while many things are out of people's individual control, the arts can be a balm for the soul during hard times. She said that while inflation has made times tough for the performing arts, now is also an exciting time to be a part of an arts community.

"It gives you a sense of something to belong to that's meaningful, and that whether you're a performer or an audience member or an artist in another way, you have the chance both to step outside of whatever reality is in front of you and be in a reality that's all about something really beautiful with other people."

Meanwhile, Gerrard said he has turned to playing music outside of the RSO as a way to find joy. The conductor began his career with the piano, and now plays it often at home. 

"It's unstructured time that I'm not using toward a project. That's something that I have come to realize is super important for me."

Gerrard also said that being a part of the RSO team, which has a presence in schools and provides free services including concerts at Regina libraries, makes him feel like he's making a difference.

"I get to see on people's faces what a difference this organization is making. And so I think I try and focus on the fact that I'm there, we're all there, as part of the RSO team to make the community better and that really is our purpose," Gerrard said.

"The wins that come from that definitely keep us focused — and I would say now in some ways refocused — on the goal after what's been a pretty rough big-picture few years."

Gerrard said the RSO's schedule is packed with many great concerts. He's most looking forward to performing one of his all-time favourite compositions — Brahms's Third — with world-renowned violinist Kerson Leong in April 2024.