Westacres has always been, for almost 40 years, a welcoming home for classical-music lovers and musicians alike. Unfortunately, that has to change. The License Dept. of the City of Maple Ridge has decided that our house doesn't have the required safety for public gatherings.
We were of course devastated by this message but out of the ashes, like a phoenix, we will rise and shine. This is what has been decided by our committee: (1) We are now an officially registered Society with a working Board of Directors, comprising of our current committee members. (2) There will be an Annual General Meeting where directors can be re-elected or replaced. (3) The current Artistic Director is Josine Eikelenboom, the Assistant Artistic Director is Arianna Ervin.
Concerts will be held in local churches, depending on the kind of musical group being presented.
Our choice fell on St. Paul's Lutheran church on Laity St. for chamber music. It has a beautiful, but small grand piano, perfect for the purpose. There is easy access to general space for the intermission and ample parking.
For a chamber orchestra we chose St. George Anglican Church which is a sunny, pleasant venue, again with many parking places and a spacious general area. We are still considering where and how to present a solo pianist, since a top standard Steinway grand piano is required. But we will find a solution for that too.
I trust you will be as excited as we are about the future of the Music Society. Maple Ridge is a growing community, and deserves a musical organisation like ours.
Please let your likeminded friends know. We have to build up again, and we count on your support!
With best regards,
Josine Eikelenboom
Artistic Director, Maple Ridge Music Society
