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The AMEG speeches from the all-candidates meeting:
Who we are: AMEG nominees, committee, and supporters
Go to AMEG home page
The KW Symphony Has a Harmonious Future
We want the community to make sure of it.
At the November AGM, vote for Board nominees committed to ethical and transparent governance.
We, a group of concerned symphony stakeholders, have formed the Association Members for Ethical Governance (AMEG) to return the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony's credibility and reputation to the level it has enjoyed throughout most of its life. To achieve this, we will run a slate of Board nominees in the election scheduled to take place at the KW Symphony Orchestra Association's Annual General Meeting on November 16, 2004.
The chair of the KWSO Board of Directors admits that the present Board is dysfunctional. The community realizes that hopes for renewal expressed at last March's election no longer rest with the current Board, which has failed to explain to the satisfaction of the public how things went wrong.
We have developed our platform through the experience of current and former KWSO directors, musicians, volunteers, and community members involved with other cultural and business organizations. Collectively, we have produced an analysis of the governance structure of the KW Symphony and how its weaknesses have led to the contentious events of the last several years.
The platform of AMEG's nominees
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establish ethical governance: implement an organizational code of ethics as well as policies, procedures, and terms of reference to ensure maximum transparency
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restructure administration: ensure balanced powers between managerial and artistic roles
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improve and maintain morale: introduce an effective human resources process for all musicians and employees
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return to financial stability: establish ways to prevent the wrong and costly management decisions that have resulted in lost ticket sales and sponsorships
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address any injustices to Martin Fischer-Dieskau: open discussions in good faith with Fischer-Dieskau in order to achieve a closure satisfactory to both parties
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redefine Association membership: allow more members of the community a say
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create a new artistic vision: establish a balance between local outreach and international exposure.
In summary, we would like to express our disappointment in the lack of progress shown by the current Board over the last eight months. We have seen none of the seven items listed in this platform effectively addressed, including the Martin Fischer-Dieskau issue. That's why we ask you to closely examine our position and support us at the KWSO Annual Meeting on November 16.
A Message to Association Members from Raffi Armenian
The current situation concerning the administrative structure of the K-W Symphony has arisen from the perception that former K-W Symphony conductor Choesi Komatsu overused his power as Artistic Director. The idea of the Principal Conductor was used to balance that perception. However, this system is incompatible with the situation in North America.
Artistic organizations in North America need a figurehead for fundraising and for giving direction to the organization. One individual must be responsible for the artistic product and must report directly to the Board. Without that, the organization is a lame duck, because it is run by committee. The current system only works in Europe because 70% to 90% of the budget is government funded, which does not exist here. The need here is for an artistic figurehead to give focus and to take responsibility.
If the K-W Symphony doesn't go back to the former structure, the fighting within the organization will never stop. The fact that the orchestra and Board is split is absolute proof that the current system does not work. This is my strong conviction.
