BY CUTCOMMON
Back in 2011, Bourby Webster had a dream for an orchestra that would create “music for everyone”. And when she founded and developed the Perth Symphony Orchestra, that dream became a reality for the 150 musicians given work, 20,000 children benefiting from Community Engagement programs, and 450,000 audience members watching it all come to life.
For her efforts in launching a successful orchestra, Bourby — an Oxford University, University of Western Australia, and Royal College of Music alumna — has gathered achievements in arts and business alike. In 2019, she was a finalist in the Telstra Business Women of the Year Awards, and won a 40 Under 40 award for Entrepreneurs.
After dedicating so much of herself to the PSO, Bourby has decided to take her final bow. On 22 December, she resigns from her role as creative director, and ventures onto new things.
We asked Bourby to share with CutCommon readers her most memorable lessons that came out of founding, growing, and supporting a new Australian orchestra from the ground up.
1. What I learnt (the hard way) about starting an orchestra
I think it’s like building a house — once you know what you’re actually in for, you can’t stop. But it’s way more work, time, and money than you can ever have imagined.
Finding the first ‘reference’ performance was critical. Doing something that has a lot of respect attached to it meant others looked at us and said: “If they’re performing this concert in that location, they must be good.” And it gave us massive credibility and meant musicians, patrons and others wanted to work with us and see us perform.
2. What I learnt about developing an orchestra over time
The key lesson is resilience. There are so many heart-breaking knock-backs that you have to find a way to ensure the purpose of what you are doing really – and I mean really –– matters to you. You can’t just love orchestral music, as you can get music in so many ways. You really need to love what the orchestra stands for, as then you’ll keep working towards it no matter what.
Perth Symphony’s mission and purpose is simply “music for everyone”. And knowing how people have felt after experiencing us for the first time, or seeing them come back time and time again and being filled with joy, is utterly compelling.
3. What I learnt about being in a managerial position in the arts
Everyone is going to tell you how you can do it better and how they’d do it better, and believe they can do it better. No one wants to do it, they just like to have their say. You have to have such a strong belief that what you are doing is good, and really listen and communicate, so everyone understands why you make the decisions you do — but also respects you when they don’t understand those decisions.
The arts is full of not just opinions, but hugely passionate opinions. But what you like or don’t like doesn’t keep a juggernaut like a symphony orchestra afloat, nor does trying to please every board member, sponsor, staff member, patron, supplier, and musician. Compromises must be made every day, but you need everyone on the journey with you, so that’s been a huge learning curve.
Trying to put the musicians front and centre of every decision has been so important. Administrators work so hard for the artists, but often don’t communicate enough or understand enough what the musicians or artists actually want and need.
I’ve not always got this right, but it’s definitely helped that they can see me trying.
4. What I learnt about what audiences want from their local orchestra
All the things I thought needed to change in order to attract Western Australians to a symphony concert were right. People want to feel relaxed and welcomed with food in their tummies and a glass of wine in their hand. They want to know how to behave and feel comfortable with being themselves. They want to enjoy a night out with friends as well as experience something new.
The consistent thing we’ve tried to deliver is an experience. The music is so important, but if someone doesn’t know the music, can they still enjoy an orchestral concert? We’ve been able to answer that “yes” by using the checklist of “magical, memorable, meaningful, immersive, unexpected, and fun!”. And by considering each of these elements every single time, we’ve been able to connect thousands of people new to an orchestra they identify as “theirs” in a really incredible way.
5. What learnt about what I want — and what I’m capable of
I’ve learnt that music is a huge guiding force in my life. No matter how hard the journey or the effort, hearing the orchestra perform lifts my soul, and seeing the audience wipe away tears fills me with joy.
I’ve learnt that massive hurdles, really tough times, and impossible challenges can be forgotten in a few weeks — so if I can hang on, never stop finding solutions, then things will always work out.
I’ve learnt that running a company full of friends is a really hard balance, and that along the way misunderstandings can happen, and you have to accept that and move on.
I am capable of working harder than I ever thought humanly possible. I am capable of staying positive to keep my team inspired, even when things are falling apart.
I feel incredibly fortunate to have found what really matters to me and have had the opportunity to explore that with such an incredible thing as a symphony orchestra – specifically Perth Symphony Orchestra.
Parting thoughts
A symphony orchestra is such a revered thing. For anyone who has grown up with classical music, you are in awe of orchestras, conductors, soloists, administrators. It is incredibly hard, therefore, when you do something that is considered not part of what orchestras “do” – when you break away, when you dare to try to go a new direction that comes with the challenge of letting go of what your entire industry believes is the “only” way to do something.
When your entire world considers you are “selling out” or doing a “lesser” version of an orchestra or a “dumbed down” version, that is really challenging. It’s only when you realise that your orchestral world is a tiny fraction of the population, and that a massive, potential audience is out there that wants a new version — a daring version, an orchestra that gives them goosebumps even if they don’t know who Beethoven is — that you realise you still have as much meaning, value, and credibility as any other orchestra. Because every audience member matters. Every human matters.
I’ve learnt that every kind of orchestra matters because orchestral music is remarkable. Movies, music theatre, video games — all these are huge in the broader population’s lives right now. And the reason they are is because they have music at their core, making the experience full of emotion and connection.
I hope there are many, many more Perth symphonies to come, that go in myriad directions, because orchestras will secure their future and embed themselves in the hearts and minds of every human as an essential part of life. The rest of the industry will get used to us, and see us not diminishing what orchestras do, but vastly expanding and strengthening what they do.
To learn more about the orchestra Bourby founded, or to keep up to date on its future events, visit the Perth Symphony Orchestra website.
Images supplied.
