Jeremy Clark on the Legacy of Philanthropy
By Stephania Romaniuk
It’s called a Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, and a fight,” recollects Jeremy Clark, a long-time donor of the Calgary Philharmonic. “I was on the high school soccer team. It’d be two-thirds of the way through the game, and I’d just be tired of playing, so I would get myself kicked out. I was that kind of guy. I had skills, but I wasn’t being deliberate. I was randomly floating along, and eventually, I was placed on academic probation and almost flunked out of McGill.”
Jeremy had studied neuroscience in Montréal, but his grades upon graduation were not enough to pursue the career he wanted, so he came out west, where his parents had relocated, to regroup. “I felt like I was at the bottom of the pack. So really, it was a process in my mid to late 20s of reinventing how I thought and being more purposeful and deliberate. And when you start doing that, you start noticing other people who do it, too.”
Jeremy was looking for a social circle in Calgary and began attending McGill alumni events. He met John Gareau, a philanthropist and Calgary Phil donor. After a few years, the two found themselves at another networking event on opposite sides of a heated panel debate on investment strategies for retirement. “I could see him thinking, ‘Who’s this young guy who’s actually going to go toe to toe with me?’ And I was being respectful, but I certainly wasn’t backing down. And that’s when the friendship came.”
A few years later, a seat opened on the Board of the Calgary Philharmonic Foundation, and, to Jeremy’s surprise, John nominated him to become a trustee. Although Jeremy had only begun attending concerts a few years earlier, he had grown up participating in community service and believed in contributing to organizations he valued, even when his earnings were modest. So, Jeremy joined the Foundation as its youngest board member and, less than a decade later, became its President.
Although conservative when managing risk for his clients at CH Financial, the company he leads as President + CEO, Jeremy thrives on the chance to support start-up ventures at the Calgary Phil. Jeremy is the founding and lead donor for Music to My Ears, a Calgary Phil donor recognition program and music education initiative. Along with fellow donors Walt and Irene DeBoni and the Foundation, he also invested in the Orchestra’s live-streaming infrastructure, the timing of which could not have been more fortuitous.
In 2017, Music Director Rune Bergmann approached Jeremy, the DeBonis, and the Foundation with the idea to launch live-streaming at the Calgary Phil. Major renovations at the Jack Singer Concert Hall were planned for that summer, and the team saw an opportunity to invest in all the necessary equipment the Orchestra would need, not only to create live-streams, but ones that would change the industry standard. “Most orchestras had only basic infrastructure, and recorded performances were visually static and predictable. We wanted to make an almost NFL experience for the viewer,” recalls Jeremy. After a few years of live-streaming, the Calgary Phil was perfectly poised to take concerts online when the pandemic hit, broadening and diversifying its audience in the process.
The success of the live-stream initiative also helped launch the Calgary Phil’s capital campaign, Ad Astra. The campaign will sustainably grow the endowment and secure the long-term operations of the Orchestra. The endowment is one of the largest for Canadian orchestras and has grown from less than $1 million in 2000 to over $43 million in 2022, thanks in part to the prudent stewardship of the Foundation under Jeremy’s tenure.
Of the many notable projects Jeremy has been involved with at the Orchestra, however, his proudest personal achievement is successfully auditioning to host pre-concert talks. Several times a year, Jeremy interviews musicians and engages audience members with questions before performances, bringing the unabashed curiosity of a self-professed musical novice.
At 47, Jeremy is young to have a more-than-20-year-involvement with the Calgary Phil. He credits the transformation of his early career trajectory in part to having the encouragement and honest advice of others, mentorship Jeremy now pays forward to the next generation of enthusiastic Calgary Phil supporters. “Although my parents never sat me down and said, ‘Son, this is what philanthropy is,’ my mentors were that direct. Dick Matthews, a legendary Calgary Phil donor, took me aside and said, ‘Clark if you’re going to show up here with your party friends, you better do something serious.’ Working with these great arts supporters — I saw their seriousness, their long-term commitment,” he adds.
“I think that willingness to learn and stay the course is what my mentors saw in me and what I’ve seen in the people I’ve started to mentor. People who are building the Foundation, regenerating the Board, taking on major leadership roles — people who will likely surpass my involvement one day.” Jeremy says. “Finding somewhere you really belong, where you can give a purpose to your skills — you can’t put a price on that.”
Don’t miss Jeremy Clark when he hosts Pre-Concert Chats at Diana Cohen in Concert, Let Voices Resound, and Katherine Chi performs Beethoven.
It’s called a Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist, and a fight,” recollects Jeremy Clark, a long-time donor of the Calgary Philharmonic. “I was on the high school soccer team. It’d be two-thirds of the way through the game, and I’d just be tired of playing, so I would get myself kicked out. I was that kind of guy. I had skills, but I wasn’t being deliberate. I was randomly floating along, and eventually, I was placed on academic probation and almost flunked out of McGill.”
Jeremy had studied neuroscience in Montréal, but his grades upon graduation were not enough to pursue the career he wanted, so he came out west, where his parents had relocated, to regroup. “I felt like I was at the bottom of the pack. So really, it was a process in my mid to late 20s of reinventing how I thought and being more purposeful and deliberate. And when you start doing that, you start noticing other people who do it, too.”
Jeremy was looking for a social circle in Calgary and began attending McGill alumni events. He met John Gareau, a philanthropist and Calgary Phil donor. After a few years, the two found themselves at another networking event on opposite sides of a heated panel debate on investment strategies for retirement. “I could see him thinking, ‘Who’s this young guy who’s actually going to go toe to toe with me?’ And I was being respectful, but I certainly wasn’t backing down. And that’s when the friendship came.”
A few years later, a seat opened on the Board of the Calgary Philharmonic Foundation, and, to Jeremy’s surprise, John nominated him to become a trustee. Although Jeremy had only begun attending concerts a few years earlier, he had grown up participating in community service and believed in contributing to organizations he valued, even when his earnings were modest. So, Jeremy joined the Foundation as its youngest board member and, less than a decade later, became its President.
Although conservative when managing risk for his clients at CH Financial, the company he leads as President + CEO, Jeremy thrives on the chance to support start-up ventures at the Calgary Phil. Jeremy is the founding and lead donor for Music to My Ears, a Calgary Phil donor recognition program and music education initiative. Along with fellow donors Walt and Irene DeBoni and the Foundation, he also invested in the Orchestra’s live-streaming infrastructure, the timing of which could not have been more fortuitous.
In 2017, Music Director Rune Bergmann approached Jeremy, the DeBonis, and the Foundation with the idea to launch live-streaming at the Calgary Phil. Major renovations at the Jack Singer Concert Hall were planned for that summer, and the team saw an opportunity to invest in all the necessary equipment the Orchestra would need, not only to create live-streams, but ones that would change the industry standard. “Most orchestras had only basic infrastructure, and recorded performances were visually static and predictable. We wanted to make an almost NFL experience for the viewer,” recalls Jeremy. After a few years of live-streaming, the Calgary Phil was perfectly poised to take concerts online when the pandemic hit, broadening and diversifying its audience in the process.
The success of the live-stream initiative also helped launch the Calgary Phil’s capital campaign, Ad Astra. The campaign will sustainably grow the endowment and secure the long-term operations of the Orchestra. The endowment is one of the largest for Canadian orchestras and has grown from less than $1 million in 2000 to over $43 million in 2022, thanks in part to the prudent stewardship of the Foundation under Jeremy’s tenure.
Of the many notable projects Jeremy has been involved with at the Orchestra, however, his proudest personal achievement is successfully auditioning to host pre-concert talks. Several times a year, Jeremy interviews musicians and engages audience members with questions before performances, bringing the unabashed curiosity of a self-professed musical novice.
At 47, Jeremy is young to have a more-than-20-year-involvement with the Calgary Phil. He credits the transformation of his early career trajectory in part to having the encouragement and honest advice of others, mentorship Jeremy now pays forward to the next generation of enthusiastic Calgary Phil supporters. “Although my parents never sat me down and said, ‘Son, this is what philanthropy is,’ my mentors were that direct. Dick Matthews, a legendary Calgary Phil donor, took me aside and said, ‘Clark if you’re going to show up here with your party friends, you better do something serious.’ Working with these great arts supporters — I saw their seriousness, their long-term commitment,” he adds.
“I think that willingness to learn and stay the course is what my mentors saw in me and what I’ve seen in the people I’ve started to mentor. People who are building the Foundation, regenerating the Board, taking on major leadership roles — people who will likely surpass my involvement one day.” Jeremy says. “Finding somewhere you really belong, where you can give a purpose to your skills — you can’t put a price on that.”
Don’t miss Jeremy Clark when he hosts Pre-Concert Chats at Diana Cohen in Concert, Let Voices Resound, and Katherine Chi performs Beethoven.