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Victoria Symphony’s new CEO gets in tune

At first, Kathryn Laurin had zero interest in becoming the Victoria Symphony’s new CEO. She had recently been dismissed without cause as president of Camosun College, a firing she found both distressing and unfair.
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One of Kathryn LaurinÕs main challenges will be to drum up audience numbers.

 

At first, Kathryn Laurin had zero interest in becoming the Victoria Symphony’s new CEO.

She had recently been dismissed without cause as president of Camosun College, a firing she found both distressing and unfair.

“You stop and think: ‘Do I need to do this [kind of work] again at this point in my life?’ Those are very tough jobs,” said Laurin, 58.

But then she changed her mind.

Today, as the Victoria Symphony’s new boss, Laurin looks forward to expanding the orchestra’s attendance, attracting younger audience members and eventually working with a new music director (the current conductor, Tania Miller, will leave next May).

The CEO is the financial manager of the organization, responsible for such duties as fundraising, seeking sponsorships, overseeing marketing and collaborating with the conductor in planning seasons.

As arts jobs go, running an organization such as the Victoria Symphony is especially taxing. Marcus Handman, who held the position from 2004 to 2008, said the unrelenting schedule of concerts was like running a marathon. “It’s a very demanding job,” he said. “In my mind, there’s no way you can prepare for that grind.”

It was Harry Swain, the Victoria Symphony’s former board president, who first pitched the position to Laurin. When he called her about becoming CEO, she declined. Biding his time, he invited her three months later to have coffee at a Starbucks in Cadboro Bay Village.

“I told her she really ought to let her name stand for this job. She’d be awfully good for it. Slowly, she became interested in the idea,” he said.

It’s not hard to see why Swain would be keen on recruiting Laurin. She has an impressive background in high-level administration, having been dean of fine arts at the University of Regina and president of Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax.

As well, Laurin — with a master’s degree in conducting from Indiana University — has a long history in musical performance. For 25 years she was a professional conductor of orchestras and choral groups, doing freelance work with the Regina and Saskatoon symphony orchestras.

The combination of adminis-trator/conductor is an attractive fit for the position of orchestra boss. Experienced administrators know how to keep an eye on purse-strings. At the same time, when a conductor asks the CEO whether it’s feasible to tackle a big, expensive project such as a Mahler symphony or Bach’s Mass in B Minor, someone like Laurin — having been an artist herself — is sympathetic.

The optics of a firing are never good, no matter what the circumstance. Laurin was dismissed from Camosun College in June 2014 after serving as president for five years. Many were surprised; her reputation was good. The parting was especially puzzling seeing as the college achieved a significant score on her watch: obtaining provincial funding for a $30-million complex for trades, education and innovation.

Laurin is unable to comment on the specifics of her leaving, since she signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of her severance package. This week, she said: “I was dismissed without cause, that’s the legal term. I was not at fault for anything. I didn’t do anything illegal.”

Insiders say Laurin fell victim to college politics. The province has a practice of nominating board members at B.C. universities and colleges. Not long before Laurin was fired, there was a shift on the Camosun board that didn’t work in her favour.

Swain said her departure from Camosun was a non-issue for the Victoria Symphony. Before hiring Laurin, he contacted Lynda Farmer, Camosun College’s chairwoman prior to Laurin’s dismissal. Farmer said she had done a “terrific job.” As for the board that let her go, Swain said they were inexperienced and their decision was a mistake.

Naturally, the experience was difficult for Laurin. After leaving Camosun, she took time out to reassess her career. She decompressed at the family condo in Arizona, playing golf with friends. She also took a 10-day vacation in London.

She and her husband, Read Jorgensen, a school principal, debated about whether they wanted to remain in Victoria. Not one to remain idle, Laurin used her time off to take a “mini MBA” through the University of Toronto and do consulting work for Royal Roads University.

Tellingly, she said one of her stipulations upon accepting the Victoria Symphony position was having the board’s support. Laurin said: “Your CEO is not going to be successful otherwise, so that’s critical.”

By all accounts, both staff and musicians at the Victoria Symphony are buoyed by Laurin’s hiring. One musician said: “I get a very good feeling about her — bottom line, most of the musicians are very optimistic this is a very good change.”

Laurin replaces Mitchell Krieger, the Victoria Symphony’s executive director since 2009. Swain said Krieger was good at bringing money to the organization. During his tenure, donations went from $160,000 to about $1 million — an unprecedented achievement. However, several insiders said Krieger, an American who came to Victoria after overseeing a New Jersey theatre company, rubbed some people the wrong way with an aggressive way of communicating. One described him as a “micro-manager,” with whom some musicians and staff found it difficult to get along.

Laurin officially took over as CEO of the Victoria Symphony on June 1. In overseeing the debt-free organization, with a $5.5-million budget, she faces several challenges. One of the biggest is drumming up audience numbers.

As a generation of traditional concert-goers ages, symphony orchestras throughout North America have experienced a drop in subscribers. Laurin said the Victoria Symphony, which had 4,000 subscribers last season, has also seen a “modest decline” in subscriptions.

She said it’s by no means a dire situation. Current subscriptions are on par with last season. Single-ticket sales are increasing year by year. And because Victoria is a retirement haven, the pool of older people (who tend to attend and donate to theatre, opera and classical concerts more) is continually replenished.

Still, Laurin is keen to draw more young people to Victoria Symphony concerts. Among the ideas she’s mulling over is making more effort to reach out to millenials via social media. The orchestra might consider offering “all access passes” for those 25 and under, which would offer such perks as backstage tours and significant discounts on tickets.

Concerts could be made more interesting visually by using multimedia devices.

“You can have a light show. You can have screens, multiple screens,” Laurin said.

Raised in Montreal, Laurin is the daughter of a mechanical engineer. Both her parents loved music; her home was filled with the sounds of Tchaikovsky and Grieg’s piano concertos.

A trained pianist, Laurin said part of her new job’s appeal is the opportunity to return to the music world. She never lost her passion for music and often plays the upright piano in her Ten Mile Point condominium, practising quietly so as not to disturb neighbours.

Laurin’s zeal for music — and her work ethic — are perhaps exemplified by a near-tragedy 15 years ago. She was slated to conduct Handel’s Messiah at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts in Regina. As she merged onto a winter highway, an oncoming vehicle lost control on black ice, slamming into her Volvo.

Laurin was not injured, although the impact knocked off an earring. She arrived late, but still made curtain.

“I remember thinking: ‘It’s only metal. That can be fixed. I need to get to that concert.’ ”

She describes herself as a leader who values collaboration. Laurin believes those working in the trenches know the issues “better than you do.” Her management style is to be prudent while avoiding over-caution.

“One of my favourite things is intelligent risk-taking,” Laurin said. “I’m a firm believer in ‘no risk, no innovation.’ ”

achamberlain@timescolonist.com