New Leaders of the Arts in Edmonton

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the Edmonton Jazz Society is emerging from the pandemic with a new face at the helm.

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Todd Crawshaw has just been announced as the new CEO of the Edmonton Jazz Society, the volunteer-driven nonprofit organization that oversees the operations of the Yardbird Suite.

In fact, Crawshaw has been in the job since early October and is still in what he calls the “exploration phase” of his tenure. Over the next time, you will learn the processes, develop relationships with musicians, fans, and volunteers, and align with the vision of the current board of directors.

“We are cautiously coming out of a period of closures, and it seems like a logical time to look at changes in operations,” says Crawshaw, who was last seen in the same position at the Edmonton Rock and Roll Society, as well as running a children’s music education charity and starting Big E Radio through the pandemic. “Most of those changes will be informed by the discussions I am involved in. The details will come, but in the grand scheme, I will be looking to attract new markets while respecting our existing fans.”

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It’s a big change for the Jazz Society, which hasn’t had a dedicated CEO in over 30 years.

“It has been powered by volunteers for the past three decades,” explains Crawshaw. “The culture has changed dramatically at that time, particularly the way audiences access cultural events and live music. Audience expectations have evolved, and I was enlisted here to seek to create a direction focused on sustainability. “

Live performances are a bit further up the Yardbird, but they have a list of great broadcast shows planned for the coming months, including the Jivin ‘Belles on Friday, the Dave Herrick Quintet performing A Tribute to Freddie Hubbard on Saturday, and the Caufield Quintet on Tuesday with A Tribute to Coltrane.

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Dart’s position as CEO is now permanent

After stepping in at the last minute to help guide last summer Fringe Festival , Megan Dart and the organization’s board of directors have decided to make the arrangement permanent.

Taking over as interim CEO last March in place of Adam Mitchell, Dart and artistic director Murray Utas navigated changing regulations and public fears to give us the downsizing and partial social distancing of the Together We Fringe – A Fringe Theater Event in August. . Considering the difficulties of organizing such an event during a global pandemic, the art festival’s 40th anniversary passed relatively smoothly, or at least Utas and Dart were excellent at hiding any difficulties from Fringers. In the end, they reported that more than 37,000 tickets were sold, 149 sold-out performances and more than 10,000 visits to ATB Park, the outdoor compound that housed food vendors, artists and theater-goers.

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“Megan brings an unrivaled combination of experience, empathy and enthusiasm to everything she does,” said board president Shivani Naidu-Barrett, in a prepared statement, “and her time with us, both in her capacity as CEO Acting as in his myriad of performances with Fringe Preview, shows his boundless commitment to Fringers and the Edmonton art community. The board is more than confident to work alongside Megan, Murray and the Fringe team to foster a bright new chapter in the contribution of this vital Edmonton organization to the ecology of the local, national and international arts. “

Next year, Dart and Utas will likely pick up where they left off, incorporating some new elements like Fringe TV and ATB Park, which had a test as a closed area this year before organizers decided to open it up to the general public. .

“As Murray says, we are not gates and fences,” Dart observed during the closing of Fringe. “It is very important to us that the site remains accessible, both financially and in terms of inviting the community.”

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