Frequently Asked Questions
What are my member fees for the 2024 - 2025 season
The present cost (2024-2025) is $225 for the full year, $75 per concert, $150 for 2 concerts, or $113 per term. Fees are payable in full at the first rehearsal of the season or each term's first rehearsal. Fees can be paid by cheque, e-transfer (kwcotreasurer@gmail.com), Credit Card ($5 fee), or CanadaHelps. As the KWCO is a non-profit organization, member fees are classified as charitable donations, tax receipts are issued, and any additional donations are gratefully accepted.
How the Music we play is chosen
Why does the orchestra not perform more contemporary popular music arrangements? Would this not expand our audience?
There are many other venues where popular contemporary music may be heard. Our orchestra has the special mission to provide classical music to the community.
Also, the availability of music is an inhibiting factor. Popular music arrangements are often under copyright. The rental of copyrighted music may cost upwards of $500 plus shipping for us. While we do have a budget for music, we have to try to source things as cheaply as possible.
Finally, playing contemporary music arrangements would not be satisfying for many of our players as quite often it is very difficult.
Could the orchestra perform more modern classical repertoire, perhaps by living Canadian composers?
The main factor preventing this is again the availability of music. Also, finding the music at the right level of difficulty for the orchestra may be a challenge. Some modern pieces require a large variety of instruments which would be difficult for us to find.
Why does the orchestra play pieces that do not include all instruments?
Great effort is taken to pick pieces that include all of our players. However, composers before the early 19th century (Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven) used a reduced number of wind instruments. We would not want to exclude such great composers from our repertoire, hence some pieces selected will use fewer players. We tend to avoid Baroque music which uses the least amount of players.
Could we have 4 concerts per year, as the space between concerts seems too long?
Yes, we could consider having 4 concerts per year, if the orchestra members would support that. This is something we are trying for the 2024 - 2025 season!