Coastal Jazz & Blues Society board responds to local musicians' letter questioning governance
Document signed by more than 100 artists and counting is asking the volunteer board to step down
Coastal Jazz & Blues, which produces Vancouver International Jazz Festival, has grown to become B.C.’s largest not-for-profit music presenter.
A GROWING NUMBER of local jazz musicians have signed a letter questioning the governance of the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society. Meanwhile, the board of the long-running organization that presents the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival released an official response today.
The controversy appears to stem back to a heated AGM meeting on November 16 in which the society’s members attempted to vote out the board.
“The election conducted at the 2021 AGM was not conducted according to the Society’s Bylaws,” the Coastal Jazz board said in a letter to members and on a public blog posted to the organization’s site today. It states: “There is no provision for ‘voting out’ Board members—if the number of candidates exceeds the number of open Board positions, then an election should be held to determine which of the candidates are elected to the Board — otherwise the candidates are acclaimed. This was the legal assessment provided to the Board by an independent counsel, which was confirmed and agreed to by the Society’s own legal team.” (The full message to members is here and the bylaws are here.)
The letter calling for the resignation has been signed by more than 100 “Concerned Members of the Vancouver Music Community” and counting as it has spread across social media today. Stir has confirmed it was originally penned by local bass free-improviser Torsten Müller in collaboration with several other musicians and dated February 3. It asks “that the board respect the decision of the voting membership by stepping down. Failing this, the board should provide clear reasons and evidence in a written statement to the membership as to why the vote was overturned. In this statement, the board should also indicate what steps have been made to facilitate a new vote.
“Simply put, we are concerned that the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society is suffering a crisis of governance that threatens its existence,” the letter continues. “This organization means a great deal to us and to the cultural life of our city. Since its inception, the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society has encouraged and nurtured local musicians and communities of all styles; and has been a world leader in presenting a diverse range of new jazz, blues, world, and experimental music from around the world to new audiences. Maintaining these activities at the high standard we have all come to expect requires deep knowledge, long experience, and commitment to a vision – it also requires cooperation, care, and a comprehensive understanding of the diversity of Vancouver’s music scene and the international communities it interacts with.”
In an interview with Stir, society member Sonja Müller, who attended the online AGM and is the wife of Torsten, said: “For me it comes down to the fact I don’t have a voice as a member; my voice doesn’t matter. I can’t even get the minutes of the meeting where I voted, and it’s been brushed under the carpet.”
Three members of the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society’s board of directors resigned at or before the AGM, taking its number from 10 down to seven. The board currently lists Gary Kushnir, a nine-year member, as its president, with Franco Ferrari, a 25-year member, as its vice-president. Other members include Jeff Brocklebank, Kevin Noronha, Mitchell Edgar, Nou Dadoun, and Michael Matich.
In its statement, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society’s board committed to recruiting new members, saying the “Board’s composition needs to reflect the community and we are committed to recruiting new candidates to achieve that and to encourage a wider spectrum of voices at the table. With that in mind, we note that there are currently open Board positions and want to emphasize that as part of achieving the goal of a transition to a wider spectrum of voices, Board recruitment is an on-going process. We always welcome interested, capable individuals who are willing to step up to guide the Society in its mandate, to participate in its commitment to the community, and to do the work necessary.”
On social media today, several local musicians supported an effort to install a new board. “Some of the board members have been on the board for decades and so it seems right to bring in a new vision, especially considering that the board is now 100% men,” guitarist Aram Bajakian posted.
In their letter, the musicians also raise concerns about other fiscal and personnel matters within the organization. Amid their concerns is the artistic leadership of the Jazz Fest in the wake of the departure of former managing director of artistic programming Rainbow Robert, who has just been named new executive director at the BC Alliance for Arts and Culture.
Though it has not announced a search for its new artistic programmer, in its statement the board said it “would like to assure Staff, Society Members, and the community at large that we will engage in a thoughtful, transparent, and equitable process to determine the future artistic leadership of the organization”.
Founded in 1985, Coastal Jazz has grown to become B.C.’s largest not-for-profit music presenter. It was forced to cancel its 2020 Vancouver International Jazz Festival due to COVID restrictions, but returned in summer 2021 with a hybrid online-live program, followed by a year-round jazz series happening live at venues like Ironworks. There are plans underway for a full jazz festival this summer.
The organization recently installed a new executive director, Nina Horvath.
The general upheaval has some artists and members at large worried about the future. “The arts are in trouble generally and we don’t want to lose the festival to terrible governance,” Sonja Müller says. “I know finding new management is a process and requires a committee and proper vetting…but I’m not sure how they think they can rebuild the society.”
For its part, the board is trying to reassure membership and patrons in its letter: “Coastal Jazz & Blues Society is in a period of leadership transition, but the current Board of Directors is committed to fulfilling our duties to ensure the sustainability and oversight of the Society, and will continue to govern the Society.”
Board governance has seen ongoing flareups at arts organizations in Vancouver and across the country, especially during the pandemic. Theatre artist Yvette Nolan, who has a master’s on the topic and is an advocate for diversity on boards, told Stir last year: “Everything else is disrupted this year so why would we stop at the board table? Suddenly everyone’s talking about structure and how we have to change systemic structures.” PuSh International Performing Arts Festival’s remaining board members stepped down at an AGM in February last year, fully replaced by a new slate as part of a larger organizational review.
“PuSh’s crisis was not an isolated incident, and such flare-ups regularly occur at theatre companies across the country—more often behind closed doors,” Nolan told Stir at the time. “This is not unique in any way. This happens all the time. It’s just that we’re in this time: because of social media and the pandemic, we’re in this moment where everything is there to see.”
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