Together Again for Ballet A Message from Diana Reitberger, Director of Development
Over the past year I have often been asked, “How is the fundraising going?” “How are you and the Development team coping?” “Is the company going to be ok?” The simple answer is that we accomplished great things together and The National Ballet of Canada is ready to take to the stage, better than ever. When the curtain rises on our first live performance on November 11, it will be because of you. You allowed us to stay the course because you
did not falter in your support of the company over the past year. Whether you renewed your membership in Friends’ Corps, Turnout or Patrons’ Council, or continued to fulfill pledges to specific programmes like Dancers First, Ballet Club Relevé and The Producers’ Circle, you were there for us. So many of you also donated back your tickets or entire subscriptions to show your support. And our Together for Ballet campaign inspired 1,679 donors to make a special gift in our time of need. What was so heartening were the 800 new donors we welcomed to our ballet family – we hope you feel our deep appreciation as we get to know you better! I need to express my pride in the entire Development team for their commitment to keeping you engaged while navigating the vagaries of working from home. Whether meeting personally by phone or as a group on Zoom while you watched a class or rehearsal, there was a feeling that we were all in this together. And yes, when the weather was good, the occasional coffee meeting at an outdoor café or walk was possible with some of you.
I am fondly recalling an outdoor visit I had with Richard and Martha Hogarth last September in their garden. This special couple was united in their love for the National Ballet and I spent the visit being regaled with stories by Richard from their earliest involvement with the company in the late 1950s. One such story was how they lured friends to become involved with the National Ballet by offering Sunday night suppers at their apartment if they bought performance tickets! These were the initiatives that built our support from the ground up. Sadly, Richard passed away in February after over six decades of constant support for the company. However, his spirit of connection and camaraderie shines bright in many of our programmes, and we hope you are inspired to introduce your family and friends to the company you love this season. Thank you for being there for us this past year and for embracing the excitement of the year ahead. We are together again for ballet and it is an indescribably wonderful feeling! - Diana Reitberger, CFRE Director of Development
Artists of the Ballet in the wings during The Nutcracker. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Diana Reitberger. Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic. The National Ballet of Canada
Preview Fall 2021
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