TORONTO – It might be cold comfort to critics of the CBC’s decision earlier this year to disband its orchestra but CBC Radio 2 said today it will increase its commissions budget by $50,000, bringing 2008’s allocation up to $170,000 in total.
"We are excited to be putting more money towards the creation of original compositions from some of Canada’s most talented musicians. These funds will allow us to work with artists and orchestras throughout the country in creating original and engaging pieces of music for Canadian’s to enjoy," said Mark Steinmetz, director of music for CBC Radio, in a release today.
"It’s crucial for us that the national broadcaster not only reflect, but contribute to, the cultural landscape of this country. By increasing our available budget for commissions we will be giving even more Canadian composers a voice and a venue to explore their craft."
Steinmetz also noted that CBC Radio has almost doubled its budget for commissions over the last 5 years.
In March, however, the CBC also, to the chagrin of some, decided to axe its own in-house orchestra, something that had been part of the Corp. for about 70 years. It had 35 members who were freelancers and did about eight concerts per year.
However, CBC Radio has also been commissioning original works from Canadian composers for about the same amount of time.
Since 1939 more than 1,000 original works of music have been commissioned by the national broadcaster, including classical music, light classical and 11 full-length musicals.
Original works commissioned by the CBC include: Patrick Carrabre’s Inuit Games (composed for throat singers), Stan Rogers’ musical So Hard to Be So Strong and the first Canadian Commission by the CBC entitled Transit Through Fire by Healy Willan.
