NEWS

A successful 38th season for the festival


Launch of an innovative fundraising campaign and Mathieu Lussier back as artistic director 

Lamèque, N.-B., Saturday, November 2, 2013: The 38th season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival presented last July was very successful. This is what came out of the assessment of the festival’s activities made by the board of directors during its general annual meeting that took place Saturday, November 2, 2013, in Lamèque. 

Successful 2013 season – return to a balanced budget
In his report, the president of the board of directors, Jean-René Noël, provided an overall picture of the year’s activities. “I am filled with pride for the incredible work accomplished by our renewed team. We were able to organize a series of high quality concerts in a very short period of time and with very limited resources available to us. Everything went smoothly, financial partners supported us and music-lovers were ecstatic after each concert” said the president. “There was a bustling atmosphere we haven't seen for a long time" continued the president, also noticing a 31% increase in the average concert attendance. 

In terms of financial performance, the president presented the financial statements and was happy to report a surplus of $50,926 at year-end. “These positive results clearly show our commitment to managing the finances of the festival in a responsible manner. We made changes in order to make the way we operate easier and implement more rigorous control on our expenditures. I think that our efforts were crowned with success.” Season 2013 of the Festival shows total revenues of $120,725, a slight decrease compared to previous year. As for the expenditures, artistic and administration costs amounted to $69,800, a decrease of 56% compared to previous year. “These figures explain why we have a positive financial result for 2013” said Noël. “It would be premature to cry victory, but we can look to the future with more confidence. We still need the support of the community and of our financial partners,” said Noël. 

The president also confirmed that preparations for the 2014 season are underway. The finances of the festival will most likely allow the organizers to invite more musicians and singers than last year. “We will still be cautious in managing our finances since we want to make sure we will be able to celebrate fittingly the 40th anniversary of the festival in 2015” concluded Noël. 

Innovative fundraising campaign
Furthermore, the president announced the launch of an innovative fundraising campaign for the festival. Indeed, all those who want to financially support the festival will be able to do so through monthly automatic withdrawals from their bank account. “It is an easy and simple way of contributing to the financial sustainability of the festival. You only have to fill-in a form and specify the amount of the monthly contribution you wish to make; there are no user fees for participants.” The objective of the campaign is to raise a total of $25,000 in annual donations. 

Mathieu Lussier back as artistic director
The festival president was also happy to announce that bassoonist and conductor Mathieu Lussier will be back as artistic director for the next season. “This is good news for the festival" said the president. "We are lucky to be able to retain the services of someone as competent and respected in the Canadian baroque music scene as Mathieu Lussier". 

The 39th season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival will be presented from July 24 – 26, 2014. Details of the program will be announced in the spring.