The Mysterious Case of Disappearing CD Racks

The Georgian Bay Symphony's 45th season may have just ended, but I am continuing to learn more through this co-op placement. Most of this week has been spent preparing subscription renewals, as I'm sure many of you have gathered from the phone calls you have been receiving. On the surface, this may seem like a small task, however it is one of the bigger ones that I have done over the past few months. The process is fairly simple and well organized, however it is still quite time-consuming since it involves contacting every subscriber, who make up well over half of the GBS concert attendees. I am enjoying it though, it has been nice to talk to subscribers and hear their thoughts on the concerts this past season.

The other project I have worked on this week has proved to be immensely more challenging ; tracking down flip racks to display CDs. Following some feedback about our CD displays at the concerts, we have been trying to find these racks to hold them, but with no luck. I have visited more than half a dozen stores in Owen Sound, and most of the responses have been a confused look, or "I haven't seen one of those in over a decade!", with one "what is that thing?". I grew up on the tail end of the CD era, so this last response helped me to understand what most people probably feel like when asked what an 8 track player is. While portable digital media players are convenient, pressing shuffle on an iPod can't compete with the feeling of digging through a pile of discs until the satisfaction of finally finding the right one. Since the last concert, From Russia With Love, I have been working on filing away the sheetmusic from the 45th season for later use. If anyone who has attended one of the GBS concerts ever has a doubt concerning how hard the musicians work, they should take a look at these pieces. As someone who has played in multiple musical groups, I pride myself on being able to sight-read, but would definitely struggle to play these pieces even after several rehearsals. The fact that these musicians can make these pieces sound beautiful after only a few rehearsals is impressive. The Symphony is made up of very talented and hardworking musicians, and I would encourage you to congratulate them on an incredible season if you have the opportunity.