An Open Letter from John Oliver

Vancouver composer John Oliver has asked that I post an open letter he has written to the musical community. Here is the letter in its entirety:

Dear friends and colleagues,

Yesterday CBC management announced they are dismantling the CBC Radio Orchestra in the fall.

The CBC Radio Orchestra has commissioned and performed more Canadian music, and engaged more Canadian performers, than any other orchestra in Canada. It could easily continue to do so under the inspired direction of the dynamic conductor and music director Alain Trudel.

Please write a letter or email the CBC management and Members of Parliament.

This is an issue of cultural sovereignty. It is essential that this message be sent to Members of Parliament of all parties. The CBC belongs to the people of Canada.

Please write letters to:

Mark Steinmetz, Director, CBC Radio Music
mark_steinmetz [at] cbc dot ca
P.O. Box 500 Station A, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5W 1E6

Jennifer McGuire, Executive Director of CBC English Radio
jennifer_mcguire [at] cbc dot ca
P.O. Box 500 Station A, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5W 1E6

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
All can be reached by regular mail, free of charge, at this address:
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

Josée Verner, Member of Parliament,
Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages
Telephone: (613) 996-4151
Fax: (613) 954-2269
E-Mail: Verner.J [at] parl dot gc dot ca
E-Mail2: Min_Verner [at] pch dot gc dot ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Telephone: (613) 992-4211
Fax: (613) 941-6900
E-Mail: Harper.S [at] parl dot gc dot ca

OPPOSITION PARTIES

LIBERAL

Mauril Bélanger, Critic for Canadian Heritage, La Francophonie and Official Languages
Riding: Ottawa--Vanier
Belanger.M [at] parl dot gc dot ca
Constituency Office:
168 Charlotte St, Suite 504
Ottawa, ON K1N 8K6
(613) 947-7961
Web: www.mauril.ca

NDP

Charlie Angus, Culture Critic
818 Justice Building, House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A OA6
Tel: (613) 992-2919
angusc [at] parl dot gc dot ca

Constituency:
60 Wilson Avenue
2nd Floor
Timmins, ON P2H 2S7
Tel: (705) 268-6464
Fax: (705) 266-9125
web: http://www.ndp.ca/charlieangus

Your Member of Parliament's contact information can be found at:
http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html

If anyone reading this knows CBC staff, please talk to them and encourage them to discuss and make public their views.

Dr. John Oliver, composer
New Westminster, BC

Grand Prize, 8th CBC National Young Composer's Competition - now disbanded

Symphonic Tone Poem "Raven Steals the Light" jointly commissioned by the CBC Radio Orchestra and the Music in the Morning Concert Society

"Unseen Rain" for mezzo-soprano and orchestra jointly commissioned by the CBC Radio Orchestra and the Music in the Morning Concert Society; performed by Judith Forst and the CBC Radio Orchestra under the direction of Mario Bernardi and recorded on CBC compact disk SM5191

A big thanks to John Oliver for caring enough about the future of music in Vancouver and Canada to compile this information and send it out to the musical community.

I have altered email addresses so their owners avoid spam bots, with [at] substituted for @ and "dot" substituted for periods. All addresses are for either publicly elected officials or appointed members of public corporations.

I would also invite citizens of other countries to write to the above officials as part of the CBC's extended family that have easy access to CBC programs via proximity to Canada, shortwave radio, or the internet.