A Grow grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation has allowed the Windsor Symphony Orchestra to do just that over the past two years.
In June 2020, the Windsor Symphony Society received the $213,900 grant to help the WSO produce an all-digital video season.
Officials say the forced termination of in-person concert performances due to the COVID-19 pandemic could've shut down the orchestra and laid off musicians and most staff.
The grant, which concludes this summer, has allowed the WSO to purchase new video equipment and hire qualified video technicians to complete two fully virtual concert seasons.
Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky congratulated the Symphony Orchestra on the award, which has allowed them to continue performing during difficult times and to create new and exciting ways of maintaining its place at the heart of the cultural life in our community.
With the support of the grant, the WSO managed to bridge two demographics: a traditional live concert audience that was not necessarily tech-savvy, and a new virtual audience that was comfortable with technology but hadn't engaged with them or an orchestra before.
In addition to the video equipment and technicians, the grant allowed the WSO to adapt a new digital marketing strategy, which resulted in a 50% increase in subscribers and pushed the WSO over the revenue threshold for success.
WSO Executive Director Sheila Wisdom says the impact of the grant came when the WSO needed it most.
"In the face of COVID, this grant helped the WSO shift from live concert performances into a new virtual realm that our patrons have really been enjoying. The Ontario Trillium Foundation's support has given the WSO a new way of connecting people with music."