The last notes of the recent classical guitar concert are still delighting me as I think back on what the Selkirk Concert Society has achieved.
For 10 years SCS has been bringing high quality concerts to the residents of the Nelson area. We’ve enjoyed smaller concerts of all types from traditional classical music to jazz performances and world music.
SCS began at a meeting in the home of one of the founders in 2011. A few local musicians discussed what they believed was a gap in the music available locally. It was decided to do something about filling that gap. We envisioned small groups of professional musicians performing in smaller venues for a more intimate experience, and that’s how the Selkirk Pro-Musica concert series was born.
We hosted our first concerts in 2012 and became registered as a society in 2013. The society wanted to present a mix of local artists and touring musicians. Over the years, many local musicians have performed, both instrumentalists and vocalists.
Faculty from the Selkirk College Contemporary Music and Technology Program have been featured artists as well as members of the Symphony of the Kootenays.
“It’s been a pleasure to welcome many of my fellow Vancouver Symphony colleagues and friends to the Kootenays over the years,” says founding member and clarinetist Nicola Everton.
Smaller groups have been chosen to perform as the venues, primarily St. Saviour’s Church and Selkirk College’s Shambhala Performance Hall are best suited for this. The acoustics of the beautiful, historic St. Saviour’s Church have been especially appreciated by musicians and audiences.
SCS is an all-volunteer organization. The board and several additional volunteers do all of the administration and front-of-house activities at concerts. We apply for grants in order to ensure ticket prices stay affordable. The society has also received a grant each year that has allowed us to provide free tickets to disadvantaged members of the community (thank you Nelson and District Credit Union!).
Over the years, we’ve had our share of ordeals (the year we didn’t get a major grant, and the COVID-19 years). We’ve also enjoyed successes such as bringing the highly sought-after New Orford String Quartet to the series in 2018 and creating a youth engagement program that brings free concerts to the area’s schools each year. Like many arts organizations in 2024 we find ourselves thinking about diversity, equity and inclusion and looking for ways we can address this in our activities.
On this, our 10th anniversary, the board will close this season with our AGM and volunteer appreciation dinner. We thank our audiences who support us and all the board members and musicians who have joined us to bring some of the Kootenays’ finest music to you.
