The Executive Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra says she will continue to attend the orchestra even after she retires.
Sheila Wisdom announced on May 10 her plans to retire after nearly a decade with the WSO.
She began assisting with fundraising in 2012 and was asked by the Board of Directors to step into the role of Executive Director in 2014.
During her time, the musical tradition of the WSO has continued to grow, and financial stability has improved due to funding increases and a new business model that includes operating the Capitol Theatre for the City of Windsor.
The Symphony has also demonstrated its resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, which Wisdom says was a turn in her career that she wasn't expecting, however, the executive team shifted from live performances to streaming during the pandemic.
Wisdom says she hasn't been feeling too many emotions yet as she's still working until a replacement is found.
"I have been overwhelmed by the very kind things that people have said about me. It really, I think, reflects on the WSO and the Capitol Theatre and the great folks there who do a marvellous job."
She says she had many accomplishments throughout her years, but was really proud of how the WSO shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We were the first Symphony Orchestra in Canada to do live-streaming after in March 2020 when the plug was pulled on just about everything, and everything shut down in that one week. Three days later we were streaming our concert, which would've been closed, into people's living rooms. So that was quite an accomplishment."
Wisdom adds that her plans for after she's officially retired is to not make too many plans.
"I was a symphony goer before I started working there, and I will be a symphony goer after I stop working there. And my plan right now is not to make too many plans and to just have days where I don't have to get up and go and do anything."
Wisdom will stay on until a successor is found. The Board will conduct a thorough search for a replacement.
She says she will work with the new Executive Director to ensure a smooth transition.