Orchestras Canada

2012/13 Season

Summaries for the annual Comparative Report

Each year, Orchestras Canada collects and collates financial information and audiences numbers from its member orchestras and produces a detailed comparative report which is shared among all the participating orchestras. The 2012/13 Comparative Report contains information from 67 orchestras, including all orchestras with budgets over $1.5 million, and the vast majority of orchestras with budgets over $50,000.

The Summaries, calculated from the information in the Comparative Report, provide a snapshot of the Canadian orchestra industry as a whole for the 2012-13 season. The information has been consolidated in two ways: by budget size and by region.

Percentages have been calculated in two ways: 1) percentages based on total aggregate numbers, and 2) averages-of-percentages which have been calculated for each participating orchestra.

The averaging-of-percentages approach is useful when considering relatively small samples of organizations of disparate size and scope, such as in the summary by Regions. Percentages based on the aggregate amounts are useful when considering larger samplings. We do not make a judgment as to which approach is more valid. Indeed, we find both sets of percentages useful.

In the Summary by Regions, Ontario with 35 responding orchestra warrants sub-categorization. This is provided as supplemental information after the National Totals column.

We continue to use Cost per audience contact (CPAC) calculations in the Summaries (at the bottom of each column), and commend this calculation tool to participants who may wish to do additional comparative research on their own. CPAC is a simple calculation: total expenses divided by total audience.

Every effort has been made to produce these Summaries using straightforward, factual information and commonly accepted definitions, avoiding subjective judgment as much as possible. The accuracy of these Summaries is dependent primarily on the accuracy of information provided the 67 participating orchestras, followed by our accurate transfer of information to the master spreadsheets. If significant errors in these Summaries are noted, we would appreciate knowing.

Respectfully submitted, C. Stephen Smith February 6, 2014