On Saturday afternoon, April 6, 2024, MPP Rick Byers formally congratulated the members of the Georgian Bay Symphony (GBS) on the work the organization has done since receiving a $59,500 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
The remarks took place at the Symphony’s Spring Awakening Concert where it performed Schumann’s Spring Symphony, as well as Canadian composer Alice Ho’s Jubilation of Spring, and guest conductor Richard Mascall’s viola concerto Ziigwan (Ojibway for “spring”).
“Congratulations to the Georgian Bay Symphony on the successful receipt of support from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Excellent Spring Concert to a full house! Thank you!” said MPP Rick Byers, Bruce Grey Owen Sound.
Since receiving the OTF grant in 2023, it’s been of tremendous benefit to GBS, enabling it to hire a part-time office assistant to aid in the day-to-day management of the Symphony, as well as develop a Strategic Plan to ensure that GBS is able to provide high quality orchestral performances for years to come. Additionally, the grant has enabled the GBS to invest in modern database software, opening the door to future fundraising opportunities.
“Non-profit organizations across Ontario deliver programming that makes a difference,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. “That’s why funding that my ministry is providing through the OTF is so important. Our government wants to ensure that these programs and spaces remain the heart of communities across our province.”
The GBS has been a staple in the Owen Sound arts for 51 years, and with the help of partnerships like these that it hopes to continue that legacy and contribute to the cultural fabric of the community.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
