Thank you from outgoing Executive Director Scott Maynard

After five years at the helm of Music Yukon, there are many people I’d like to thank for their time and effort:

Kim Winnicky was an excellent ED and made a crucial contribution to the long term sustainability of the organization. 

Music Yukon was awarded ‘Conference of the Year’ for hosting BreakoutWest in 2019, and credit for that goes to our excellent team: Katie Newman was Office Manager when I took over, a wealth of knowledge and patience while I learned the ropes; Elyssia Sasaki did much of the heavy lifting producing the festival; Angela Drainville deftly pulled the strings while heading up the Host Committee with Colin Asselstine. 

Arts in the Park is in very good shape, with credit to Geneviève Doyon, who stepped down shortly before the pandemic after a decade in charge. While almost all live music ceased across the country during the lockdowns, we kept AITP going by broadcasting performances on CJUC, a partnership that continues even after the return to live. Many thanks to the teams who made this happen – Sarah Ott, Manus Hopkins, Keitha Clark, and Brigitte Desjardins – and thanks to Bill Polonsky for our amazing community radio station! 

Thanks to all those who have volunteered their time and energy to Music Yukon, especially those who have served on the board. It’s not everybody who can show up to monthly meetings or has taken the time to understand the complexities of the organization. I relied on Angela Drainville tremendously while she was President and am most grateful for her mentorship. I’ve also relied on the expertise and guidance of Allyn Walton, Kelvin Smoler, Gord Campbell, Dr. Lex Scully, and a shout out to Al Cushing, who is the longest serving board member. 

The current staffing structure is strong, with Beth Dart, Emily Farrell, and Hannah Mazurek bringing capability, experience, and energy to the table. Music Yukon cannot be all things to all people, yet we have worked hard for the benefit of the community, and I am confident that Music Yukon is in good hands moving forwards. 

It takes many people to build and sustain a healthy music scene, and I encourage you to take agency with this. Becoming a Music Yukon member is a good way to show our government and funders that we represent a strong community. I’d like to end by thanking the various sponsors and funding bodies that have supported our work over the years, including Economic Development, Tourism &Culture, ArtsFund, Lotteries, FACTOR, Canada Council for the Arts, CKRW, and our various partner organizations including Western Canadian Music Alliance, Canadian Council of Music Industry Associations, Yukon Arts Centre, Dawson City Music Fest, Yukon Film Society, The Guild, Association franco-yukonnaise, Queer Yukon Society, Yukon Summer Music Camp, Nakai Theatre, and so many more.

-Scott Maynard