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Victoria hosting first-ever music symposium

The three-day event aims to help local professional artists further their careers
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The City of Victoria is hosting the first-ever Victoria Music Symposium in partnership with Rifflandia this fall. (File photo courtesy of Rifflandia)

Registration is now open for the first-ever City of Victoria Music Symposium, scheduled over three days in September.

Running Sept. 16-18 and organized in partnership with the Rifflandia Festival, Music BC, and Creative BC, the event will feature free professional development workshops and presentations for local musicians and industry professionals.

“We’re so excited about presenting the Victoria Music Symposium as an opportunity for local musicians and music professionals to learn from some of the best industry leaders,” said Mayor Lisa Helps in a release. “Our new music strategy is all about creating a city with a strong music ecosystem to support local musicians at all stages of their careers. This is one example of how we are working to create synergies with great music partners who are already doing great things in our community, to grow the skills and knowledge that will help contribute to a robust music industry in Victoria.”

Workshop and presentation topics include touring wellness, decolonizing the music industry, international music markets, and more.

The symposium is part of the city’s new music strategy, which targets areas like connecting people with spaces, nurturing talent, growing the local audience, innovation, and creating music-friendly policy. Council has approved $75,000 for the first year of implementation.

In 2017, Victoria’s music sector created 3,630 direct jobs in Victoria and contributed $223.61 million of direct gross domestic product (GDP) to the local economy, according to the city. Victoria accounts for 22 per cent of total GDP of the B.C. music industry, with Vancouver accounting for 51 per cent and the rest of B.C. at 27 per cent.

For more details about the music symposium and to register for the free workshops visit victoria.ca/musicstrategy.

READ MORE: City of Victoria heralds first-ever music strategy


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