Impact Report
our purpose
Through live orchestral music, the Calgary Phil welcomes people together and inspires our communities.
The Calgary Phil shares music that entertains, educates, challenges, and reflects the world we live in, and most importantly, envisions the world we would like to see.
The Calgary Phil recognizes the responsibilities we have to our communities, and the opportunities in listening to and learning from our communities. We want to make the most of opportunities for connecting with more people across Calgary.
The people working at the Calgary Phil support each other to thrive and develop respectful and productive relationships. We will optimize our internal systems and grow financial sustainability.
We constantly seek better paths and solutions by providing opportunities, encouragement, and training.
We nurture curious spaces where music connects people to experience powerful emotions.
We learn, stay curious, and lean into dissonance and creative tension to see things we could not before and make connections where none existed.
We keep listening to each other and our communities to better appreciate different perspectives, deepen our understanding, and strengthen our relationships.
The Calgary Phil team, along with colleagues from Arts Commons’ resident companies, show their colours at the Pride Parade, 3 September 2023
Principal Bassoon Antoine St-Onge takes centre stage for Brilliant Bassoon led by Grammy Award-winning conductor Karen Kamensek, 10 May 2024
" IT HAS BEEN A REMARKABLY GOOD YEAR FOR THE ORCHESTRA : THE CONCERTS HAVE BEEN OF IMPRESSIVELY HIGH QUALITY, THE AUDIENCES MORE THAN DECENTLY GOOD, AND THE GENERAL VIBE IS OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS THE CONFIDENCE AND SUPPORT OF ITS PATRONS. "
CALGARY HERALD JUNE 2024
Grammy Award-winning Cuban Canadian singer-songwriter Alex Cuba performs with the Orchestra, 10 February 2024
Twenty-one canine companions-in-training from BC and Alberta Guide Dogs attended Orchestra rehearsals to build up their experience in encountering new situations, 26 October 2023
2023/2024 SEASON audience
85,118 tickets 61% of audiences were first time patrons 20% attendees from outside of Calgary 21% * identify as Indigenous, Black, South Asian, East Asian, Arab, or mixed ethnicity
all ages * largest age bracket is 35–44 at 22%
3,535 members of Cpossibilities for people aged 13–35
*Data collected from 2023 audience survey
Things are looking up at the Calgary Philharmonic! More concertgoers. More students served by our education programs. More online engagement. The growth we witnessed in 2023/2024 in welcoming new audiences from many communities firmly underscores the Calgary Phil’s belief that the Orchestra is for everyone.
TICKETS 10% increase in issued tickets
increase in Cpossibilities members
MUSIC
8,687 STUDENTS attended Education Concerts, a 54% increase from 2022/2023 season (5,650 students).
40,618
497,923
WEBSITE
$ 3,431,766
2023/2024 SEASON
583 tickets donated through our Heartstrings program
163 tickets donated to the Military Family Resource Centre
186 discounted tickets given to First Responders
Violinist Philippe Quint, Rune Bergmann, and the Orchestra celebrate with composer Errollyn Wallen at the world premiere of Wallen’s Violin Concerto, 15 March 2024
52 tickets donated through the Calgary Fee Assistance Program
242 tickets donated to silent auction and fundraising donations
1,556 tickets donated to high school students
2,670 tickets donated to newcomers to Canada through the Canoo program
3,507 patrons attended open rehearsals including high schools, seniors homes, and assisted living centres
2023/2024 SEASON music education
8,687 students attended Education Concerts
4,457 students experienced a live orchestra through schools participating in Education Concerts for the first time
72 students received free after-school music lessons twice a week through the PhilKids program
Andrés González conducts Education concert with total attendance of 4,062 students, 8 February 2024
" THE OUTREACH PROGRAM WAS AMAZING. WE HAVE INCREDIBLE GRATITUDE THAT [ CALGARY PHIL ] HAS A PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS US TO BRING WORLD CLASS MUSICIANS TO OUR STUDENTS WHO OTHERWISE WOULDN ' T HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. "
JENNIFER HART
PRINCIPAL, EMILY FOLLENSBEE SCHOOL JUNE 2024
2023/2024 SEASON online reach
40,618 social media followers
321,186 website visits
497,923 video views
51,494 newsletter subscribers
2023/2024 SEASON volunteers
72 volunteers
1,033 hours donated by volunteers
134 Calgary Phil Chorus members
13,450 hours donated by Chorus members
The Calgary Philharmonic Chorus joins the Orchestra for the premiere of Canadian composer John Estacio’s High Flight, commissioned in celebration of the Chorus 60th anniversary, 16 September 2023
