MUSIC BY THE SEA
Where: Victoria International Marina, 1 Cooperage Pl.
When: Tuesday, Aug. 1 to Saturday, Aug. 5
Tickets: $108-$168 from
In theory, event production offers a world of exciting opportunities. The reality is much harder to quantify.
Christopher Donison has learned as much during his decade-and-a-half at the helm of the Music By the Sea festival, his unique amalgam of jazz and classical music staged in both Bamfield and Victoria. “Last year was a catastrophe on all fronts,” the good-natured Donison said with a laugh.
“People didn’t come, and COVID broke out in Bamfield while we there. I got COVID, one of the musicians got COVID. I had to sequester myself in a motel room, and missed half the festival in Victoria, until I tested negative. Then we got all of our gear stolen at the end of the run.”
Music By the Sea returns to Victoria on Tuesday, and runs through Aug. 5 at the Victoria International Marina. It’s a return to form, Donison said, in that it will resemble early editions of the two-city festival, which he founded in 2006.
His vision for the festival, when he founded it, was to have it exist in two cities, and showcase two disparate style of music, with musicians from each side of the spectrum collaborating. It worked wonderfully until the pandemic. It has been in flux during recent years, due to capacity limits and cancellations.
There are signs that Music By the Sea is returning to normal. The event was successfully staged July 22-23 at the Rix Centre for Ocean Discoveries in Bamfield, albeit with a two-day schedule “that was a real reduction from the past,” according to Donison. He’s operating with a cost-cutting budget, in order to stay afloat — one of the many lessons he has been forced to learn as the founding director and CEO of a constantly-evolving performing arts festival.
“We’re small enough that we can turn on a dime that way. I call it ‘back to the future.’ We’re doing things the way we started, with less staff and less equipment. It actually made things a lot easier.”
Donison has assembled a collection of artists from Madrid, Montreal, Texas, Vancouver and Victoria for the five upcoming events, including sets by jazz notables Sienna Dahlen, John Stetch, and Bill Coon and classical favourites Melody Chan, Chad Ibison, and Janet Grohovac, among others.
All events will be held inside at the Victoria International Marina, in the Inner Harbour. Two years ago, mid-pandemic, that would have given Donison pause. At this point, he’s unshakable when it comes to event production.
“We’re working our way back. So far this year, I’d say we’ve been really successful.”
