The Indigenous Advisory Council of the Regina Symphony Orchestra

Nestled in the heart of the Canadian prairies, the city of Regina is home to the Regina Symphony Orchestra. Established in 1908, the professional orchestra presents a 39-week season and has a mandate to serve the increasingly diverse communities of southern Saskatchewan. When conductor Gordon Gerrard joined the organization in 2016, he brought with him a musical vision for the orchestra that included more socially relevant programming. An Indigenous Advisory Council was soon established to help with consultation, building trust and navigating relationships among the large local Indigenous community, which had been damaged by the country’s grim colonial past. Shortly after the orchestra’s inaugural Forward Currents Festival, a serious incident arose that would test the delicate ties between the RSO, the council, and the larger Indigenous community. This case offers insight into the consultation process and examines the conflicting factors the RSO board weighed as they considered the value of meaningful community engagement and a path forward for their organization.