Choirs Ontario is the provincial arts organization for the choral arts sector and community in Ontario. Choirs Ontario’s mission is to foster vibrant, inclusive and accessible choral communities by providing programs, services and resources; creating opportunities; and engaging Ontario’s diverse population in the transformative power of choral music.
The Choirs Ontario Board of Directors invites you to join our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) subcommittee and working board. As inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility become increasingly prevalent, Choirs Ontario will begin the important discussions surrounding our current practices, operations and projects. In these evolving times, it is crucial that we share ideas and perspectives in our commitment to cultivating a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse organization and choral community in Ontario.
Our hope is to bring together members of Choirs Ontario with the intent of collaborating as a working board / IDEA subcommittee. With multiple groups and individuals working in partnership, this board will be able to devise and recommend equitable approaches and resources to the Choirs Ontario Board of Directors and community, to both challenge traditional practices at the provincial level.
Involvement and commitment to the IDEA subcommittee will have several goals and benefits, which include:
- Regular monthly meetings over the course of a minimum of 6 months (tentative), each 1.5 – 2 hours.
- Address IDEA issues and collaborate on constructive discussions regarding current practices, for the purpose of collective action.
- The support of the Choirs Ontario Board of Directors and Staff, membership, resources, and the greater choral music community in Ontario.
- Pooling of resources where appropriate.
- Providing a report to the Choirs Ontario Board of Directors, with the focu of addressing current practices and providing suggestions and areas for improvement and action regarding IDEA initiatives.
- Other important tasks and responsibilities
Meetings will begin in the new year with the first introductory meeting anticipated during the week of January 9-13, 2023 (tentative). A final date for the introductory meeting will be solidified between interested individuals where a meeting schedule will be established.
If you are interested in joining our IDEA subcommittee, have any questions or require assistance, please contact Emma Margutsch, General Manager at [email protected] or (416) 923-1144. You are also welcome to reach out to any current director on the Choirs Ontario Board of Directors to discuss interest and/or questions.
Our office is located in Tkaronto in the Dish With One Spoon Territory and covered by Treaty 13 and the Williams Treaties. We are grateful to work, live, and make music on the traditional territory of the nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat Peoples.