Regina Symphony Orchestra receives $200,000 in emergency funding

The Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) has been allocated $200,000 in emergency funding by the province to keep it from shutting down after over a century of operation.

“We sat down and they showed us the books and they said, ‘We need some help here,’ so to ensure the symphony did not close their doors, we allocated funding,” said Laura Ross, minister of culture, parks and sport.

The need for funding is due to the fact that the RSO was one of many organizations that suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ian Yeates, the board chair for the RSO, spoke to the uncertainty that the organization had been facing.

“This is not that unusual in the business but it’s not comfortable. So when anything goes sideways, we have very little financial depth,” he said.

The one time emergency funding comes at a critical moment for the organization. It was explained that without the government’s intervention, the RSO would not survive past March of this year.

“The size of a community who can support a professional symphony orchestra is usually considered to be a community of a million to two million. We’re a quarter of that yet we’ve survived for 115 years and that’s because the people of this area wanted us,” explained board member Judy McCuskee.

• Get the CTV News app for Regina breaking news alerts and top stories 

The orchestra’s funding typically comes from a combination of ticket sales, grants, and donors.

“All three together are critical and we absolutely cannot rely just on ticket sales to get us through but audiences have been thinner in 2022 and the first bit of 2023 so that needs to continue,” said Yeates.

The Regina Symphony Orchestra was allocated $200,000 in emergency funding. (Hallee Mandryk / CTV News)

Yeates explained that this funding is intended to keep the RSO functioning as it continues to catch up to pre-pandemic attendance.

“It’s basically for our operations so it will be largely to pay the musicians and to pay for facilities like Conexus where we hold our events,” he said. “None of them are provided free of charge so we have to cover the cost of the venue and things like that.”

Both Ross and RSO board members expressed the community benefits of keeping the music alive.

“It’s so important that we have our symphony alive and functioning and playing for the enjoyment but for the betterment of our community,” Ross said.

The Government of Saskatchewan annually invests over $30 million to arts and culture organizations.