Earlier this week, The Toronto Consort announced a new leadership team, and a renewed partnership with the University of Toronto. It signals a way forward that comes as an encouraging sign for an organization that cut the 2023/24 season short due to lack of resources.
It’s a way forward, though, that doesn’t take all of TC’s past with it. The Toronto Consort is an organization with something of an unusual history, one that has a bearing on the present.
The Toronto Consort
TC was founded in 1972. Renowned conductor and baroque/classical music specialist David Fallis joined the ensemble in 1979, and became its Artistic Director from 1990 until the end of the 2017/18 season. After 27 years under a single leader, the organization decided to try something new.
Instead of filling the role of a single Artistic Director, the ensemble chose a collective model of leadership that saw the performers as Artistic Associates who not only played in the performances, but programmed the concerts and season, and together guided the organization forward.
“This new leadership model formalizes the collaborative approach we have always brought to our work and will allow us to expand the artistic development process and draw more deeply on the expertise of the group,” Fallis told LvT at the time.
Its decision in 2017 to shift from the traditional single-leader model to a collective one marked a significant departure in its leadership approach. However, this experiment has come to an end with the recent appointment of a single General and Artistic Director.
Former Artistic Associates
On September 10, an open letter was published on social media “on behalf of the former Toronto Consort Band”, and announcing a splitting of ways with the organization.
A group that represents the majority of the former Artistic Associates has been in contact with LvT via email to elaborate. As they point out in a statement, “These are most of the people who have been the face and sound of the organization for decades and can be heard on all the recordings and videos of that period.”
While philosophical disagreements are common in the performing arts when navigating future directions, the split between the board and the Artistic Associates of the Toronto Consort appears to have been pronounced.
As the statement from the “former Toronto Consort Band” reads, “There were starkly differing views on what it would mean to see the Consort thrive, and the board chose to make many bold changes without involving the artists meaningfully in the process. Hence our departure.”
The Toronto Consort, asked about their response to the open letter, repeatedly referred back to their statement of September 24, which reads, “We sincerely thank the team of dedicated Artistic Associates who so passionately led The Toronto Consort over the past few years, and who remain valued collaborators.”
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether this bold new direction will resonate with audiences. What is clear, is that The Toronto Consort is navigating uncharted territory.
For the sake of the city’s rich early music scene, we can only hope both the Consort and its former associates continue to thrive, whether together or apart.
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