Carole and Steve Clement have volunteered thousands of hours with the Calgary Phil, lending their time and expertise in the Front of House to make sure concerts run smoothly for audiences, and also helping at marketing booths at summer festivals, supporting special events throughout the year, and even working the overnight count room shift at many casinos. We caught up with them to learn more about what they love most about volunteering with the Calgary Phil.
Q How long have you been volunteering with the Calgary Phil, and what led you to start volunteering?
A We enjoyed the Calgary Phil for some time as patrons, and then began volunteering over 20 years ago. We felt that with our love of music, and our time and energy, this would be a good fit. Who knew we’d have so much fun dressing up in homemade costumes for concerts like Harry Potter, Mary Poppins, Star Trek, and Ghostbusters!
Q What have you learned through volunteering? What have you enjoyed most?
A We’ve worked in various volunteer roles over the year, with everything from special events (Cork and Canvas, donor events, and so many more) to helping with Front of House duties for many Calgary Phil concerts, which is both a privilege and a challenge that we sincerely enjoy. We love working collaboratively with everyone to ensure concerts flow seamlessly for audiences. We enjoy being a part of this process, and we meet such wonderful people along the way!
Q Why is volunteering in your community important to you?
A There is such a need for volunteers in any community! Many organizations could not function as well as they do without volunteers. We are delighted to help out our Calgary Phil, but we also volunteer in many other ways — with Canadian Blood Services as weekly plasma donors, performing sing-alongs at several seniors homes, helping to prepare soup for a local community lunch
program, and more — we live in a great community!
Q How has volunteering with the Calgary Phil helped you connect with your communities?
A Calgary Phil has excellent community programs, featuring the musicians in venues all around town. Each year, they go out to communities offering live performances at schools and other
venues, bringing the Orchestra out to the people. We get a nice sense of a community when we volunteer at the various special events, and community concerts such as Sounds of the Season, and Traditional Christmas at Grace Presbyterian.
Q What are some of your favourite things to do in Calgary?
A Calgary Phil, of course! As well, we enjoy playing together in an amateur wind quartet, with Carole on clarinet and Steve on trombone. We also love hiking, kayaking, and most of all, cycling the wonderful pathway system in the city. In the winter, we hope for lots of snow so that we can strap on our snowshoes and enjoy our beautiful parks and Foothills — no mosquitoes!
\The Calgary Phil celebrates the time and dedication of its volunteers and their energy and enthusiasm in ensuring our communities have opportunities to experience orchestral music. This is your opportunity to join the Calgary Phil’s volunteer team, make new friends, and support our communities. Visit calgaryphil.com/volunteer for more information.