The 2023-24 season was a success on many fronts forBuckingJam Palace and the charitable non-profit that runs our larger organization, The BJP Music Foundation. We sold out our concerts; we hosted top-tier jazz artists; we collaborated with the US Consulate General in Calgary, the Black Chamber of Commerce, Women Band Directors International, CADME and Jazz Denmark – the first organization in Canada to do so. There were so many beautiful musical moments and every concert felt like a celebration with valued friends.
We are clearly filling a gap in Calgary’s music culture. But if we want to be sustainable, we need to continue to address our vulnerabilities: reliance upon a free venue, volunteer leaders who have reached capacity, and opportunities to expand programming and welcome a wider community, including youth, to concerts, being limited by current space and budget.
The 2023-24 season saw BuckingJam Palace thinking big. In January 2024, Shana Barbour joined the BJP team for one term as our first Executive Director, implementing policies, procedures and systems to enable our organization to work as efficiently as possible. This 2-year position was made possible by generous support from The Calgary Foundation. We transitioned to Zeffy, a Canadian donor support and ticketing platform that waives all external fees. Our volunteer board of directors continues to grow and shape the collaborative, future-forward organization we want to be. We thank all of our volunteers for their valued contributions.
In tandem with an operating grant from Calgary Arts Development Authority, we were able to include promotional marketing efforts and external venues in our season. It required taking risk, asking for trust from our audience, and receiving deeper engagement from the board. While we are grateful for the support grants provide in helping us navigate the challenges of growing-particularly in terms of venue space & staffing - we aim to become self-sufficient, for in order to truly thrive, we must create a resilient operational model moving forward.
We are grateful for you, our community, who enable us to work in the sector we are all so passionate about. The Arts will always be an invaluable contribution to society, and your support means we can continue to make this impact.
Lisa Buck
Artistic Director & Founder
Aimee-Jo Benoit
Executive Director
Jodi Lucas
Board Chair
