June 2010:
Yes We Canada - Taking arts advocacy lessons from the Obama campaign
My story about attending Obama’s Inauguration, as a dual citizen of Canada and the States, ostensibly, may seem unrelated to issues of classical music. But today it’s relevance became abundantly clear. So, I begin. As an American-born activist, I was horrified, during the Gulf War, to hear my university colleagues chanting “Whack Iraq” at a pro-war rally in 1991. This experience and others made me vow to flee the land of George Bush Sr. for grassier patches. Strangely, when I was 12 years old, I had received a fortune cookie that prophesized “You will one day win a trip to Canada”…no lie. From that time forward, my northern neighbor always intrigued me and I finally made the leap, in 1993, to pursue a doctorate at McGill. My attraction to the progressive values of Canada led me to plant my roots here and I proudly swore in as a citizen in 2001. However, when my work temporarily brought me back to the States in 2007, I was given the opportunity to become part of an empowering revolution to bring about real change. Like hundreds of thousands of hopeful Americans, I made phone calls, registered voters door-to-door, and contributed to Obama’s campaign where I could. By the time he was elected, I had returned to live in Vancouver, where I was thrilled to celebrate Obama’s victory with a dozen close Canadian friends who toasted with “HOPE” wine in my living room. After his landmark win, many Canadians seemed as encouraged and impassioned by the implications of that election as Americans did. But probably few had the chance to witness the Inauguration Ceremony, as I had the fortune to do.
Last January, after attending a chamber music conference in New York City, my brother and I drove through the night to arrive at the Lincoln Memorial by 8 am, January 20th. As we approached the Capitol, the place was filled with a strange mix of placidity and fervor. Maybe 80% of the Mall was still empty and the millions who would attend were just beginning to arrive, proceeding together, as if towards Mecca, to find their perfect spot. During those frigid early morning hours, before the long-awaited, post-Bush era would begin, nothing could chill the crowd’s spirits. We shared everything from cell phones, Snicker bars, and smiles with our new friends. And I will never forget the inspired hush that blanketed the entire Mall as everyone listened to our new leader with rapt attention. It was like a giant room full of formerly misbehaved children who hung on their father’s every word as he explained that they would have to help him clean up the mess they’d made. For the entire day, two million Americans acted so politely that you would have thought they were Canadians. Civility prevailed throughout what could have been a truly chaotic event. After the ceremony, for three hours, thousands of us waited at the Metro like a jumbo box of colored crayons, yet everyone remained friendly, calm, and triumphant. Several times the crowd even broke into song. We were all high on Obama’s message of compassion, patience and generosity. And this was best reflected by a January 21st New York Times ad, in which an NGO used a photo of Barack to appeal for new volunteers, playing off the byline from his speech: in this new era of responsibility, nothing is so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
For years, I have known that there were many progressive Americans who worked hard for what they believed, but the prevailing politics of the two Bush eras led nations around the globe to think differently. However, immediately after Obama’s election, I was enormously relieved to notice that the world began looking upon the United States, once more, as a place of hope and leadership. And though the optimism of the Inauguration has since devolved into impatient criticism and scrutiny of Obama’s policies, much can still be learned from the Moveon.org, engaged citizenry that he inspired. I can think of no better model for the robust Canadian arts advocacy movement that we now so urgently need.
Those grassier patches that originally drew me to Canada (CBC, Canada Council, the Banff Centre, etc.) are now distant cousins to the institutions that they were when I arrived, almost 20 years ago. But American artists have never truly enjoyed those same privileges. So, subsequently, they have had longer to develop resilient strategies for sustainability. For decades, US arts organizations have favored diversified funding models that rely heavily on revenue generation as well as private, community and corporate support in order to subsidize the meager pie slice that they might receive from the public sector. And pledge-drive guilt has infested most Americans enough that they would never think of shirking their responsibility to buy their NPR membership in order to secure the radio content they so cherish. More significantly, the arts in the States have depended on a large, willing and energized volunteer force for arts advocacy and delivery. Certainly, Canadian independent artists and institutions have also employed these strategies, but perhaps to a lesser degree. Understandably, their advocacy efforts still seem primarily focused on recuperating the drastic federal and provincial arts cuts that have so recently been thrust upon them. And while those efforts should not be abandoned, Canadian artists would do well to follow the footsteps of their southern neighbors. Even if funding is one day restored, there is much to be gained by impassioning the public to take the stewardship of the arts into their own hands. So, while Obama takes cues from Canada’s health care system as he implements huge reforms, Harper’s arts orphans can benefit from his army of change-we-can-believe-in patrons, who made the impossible happen by getting an African-American into the Oval Office, one $5 donation at a time.
And, as the courteous nation that we are known to be, I think it would only be fitting for us to thank Mr. President for this free and valuable lesson by extending a gift to him, much like one CBC already offered him during the Inauguration: an adorable mix tape of iconic Canadian songs that best define our nation’s values. But since my mission, as an arts advocate, is to get new listeners jazzed about classical music, this play list will include only Canada’s finest classical artists:
I would start with Toronto’s multi-genre singing sensation,Patricia O'Callaghan , who is known for her dramatic cabaret style, and often performs songs from Kurt Weill’s Three Penny Opera. Of course, we know that it takes many more than three pennies to produce an opera, but using Obama’s approach, maybe Canada can save it’s cultural life one small donation at a time. Next, I would introduce Obama to the Montreal-based Arion Baroque Orchestra, one of Canada’s leading early instrument ensembles, who have cleverly arranged both Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (1725) and Piazzola’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (1963) for period instruments from the 18th century. These works, inextricably linking modern times to our past, can remind Obama to be guided by the lofty aspirations of his forefathers. Then, without sounding shamefully self-promoting, I would include my arrangement of the early Radiohead hit, Thinking About You, from my Forbidden Flutes CD, because Obama needs all of our thoughts as he continues to tackle the insurmountable tasks before him. Most appropriately, I could not leave out the Aucensia (Absence) track from Vancouver’s Infinitus Trio. This hip, young group of enterprising string players perfectly captures the spirit of philanthropy and personal responsibility that Obama inspires and Canada needs. Their leader, John Littlejohn (born in the States and residing in Canada like myself) founded the Thrive City String Academy, practically in Obama’s backyard. This Baltimore summer camp provides musical training for low-income school children, absolutely free. The seed for this idea started long ago, but Littlejohn could not have planned for the recession that would compete with his grassroots fundraising efforts when preparing to launch his first 2009 season. Undaunted by the biggest economic crisis in his lifetime, he simply made the camp shorter than he originally intended and invited fewer kids to ensure it’s success. I am sure that Obama and Canadian’s alike would applaud this kind of resilience. And finally, I would conclude this compilation with James Ehnes’, Juno-Award winning recording of the Bach Partita in d minor, a quintessential violin work. At only 24, this exquisitely sensitive musician was recognized for his prodigious talent by the Canada Council, who loaned him their prized Windsor-Weinstein Stradivarius to play for two years. The Canada Council, still in possession of this and two other Strads, continues to choose promising artists to whom they loan these million-plus dollar gems. Perhaps when Obama sends us back his own thank-you mix tape he’ll remind us that we don’t have it too bad up here.
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