Early Music Vancouver announces all its concert tickets will now be free for Indigenous peoples
The new ticketing policy was conceived by Cree-Métis two-spirit baritone Jonathon Adams, the group’s summer artist-in-residence
Enrico Onofri and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra perform Vivaldi Concertos at an EMV concert. Photo by Jan Gates
Resident artist Jonathon Adams
IN THE SPIRIT of reconciliation, Early Music Vancouver has taken the step of making all concert tickets for Indigenous peoples free.
It becomes the first major music organization in Vancouver to do so. The free tickets will kick in immediately for the upcoming Vancouver Bach Festival, July 27 to August 6.
The new ticketing policy was conceived of by EMV’s summer artist-in-residence, Cree-Métis two-spirit baritone Jonathon Adams. “It is my hope to help enact lasting change through this residency,” they said in the announcement today, “and to help bridge the gap between EMV and Indigenous communities in the Vancouver area.”
EMV’s recently installed artistic and executive director Suzie LeBlanc stressed the new policy aims to open the organization’s doors to Indigenous peoples and welcome them into the early music scene, both on- and off-stage.
The Montreal-bred artist, who is also an early-music soprano, has worked quickly to realize a goal she cited immediately after being installed as the organization’s first sole female director in January, telling Stir at the time, “I have to learn a lot more about Indigenous communities here and I'm dying to find ways to create links between what we do at EMV and the Indigenous communities here.”
EMV cited a 2015 Stats Canada report that says 24 percent of Indigenous people who are residents in urban areas live under the poverty line compared to 13 percent for non-Indigenous peoples. That lack of disposable income prevents many from participating in or enjoying the arts. EMV also stresses the offer recognizes Indigenous people as historical stewards of the land.
To obtain a ticket, Indigenous patrons will need to present a status card, band membership, or other identification at the will call desk. Tickets are limited to one per person for all Vancouver events.
In an interview with Stir earlier this summer, Adams also spoke of work to uncover early Indigenous and Métis works, and weave it into EMV programming. At a concert at the Bach fest on July 30 at the UBC Botanical Garden, the artist will perform some of their discoveries in a show called Le Rossignol Sauvage - Cree, Métis & French Songs.
“We need a better understanding collectively as Canadians of Indigenous music and Indigenous artists and the contribution of Indigenous people to the broader culture,” they said. “So much has been suppressed over so many decades—but it hasn’t been lost.”
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