Amy Ferguson Institute rebrands to Echo Vocal Arts Alliance
By Contributor
A fixture of Nelson’s cultural landscape has recently undergone a rebranding and name change.
The former Amy Ferguson Institute will now be known as Echo Vocal Arts Alliance.
When Echo Vocal Arts Alliance (EVAA) originally formed as the Amy Ferguson Institute in 2000, the organization primarily served to honour the legacy of Nelson’s Dr. Amy Ferguson, who led the Nelson Boys Choir from 1930 until 1972, inspiring many young people to further their musical education, with some continuing onto professional careers in music.
Since its inception, EVAA has sought to celebrate vocal arts by organizing festivals, concerts, workshops, productions, and master classes in Nelson.
It also provides bursaries and scholarships to young artists, and acts as a support for independent artists to access arts funding from provincial and federal agencies.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, the organization decided it would use the fallow time to undertake a rebranding.
With assistance from the Columbia Basin Trust, consultant Mike Stolte was hired to lead strategic planning sessions, and one of the top identified priorities was to rename and rebrand the organization.
“Our new name, Echo Vocal Arts Alliance, immediately identifies the group as arts and vocal-based”, says board president, Laura Landsberg, “and the word “Echo” brings to mind a voice resounding through mountains and valleys”.
Moving ahead, EVAA will focus on its role in amplifying the vocal arts community rather than mounting full-fledged, staged productions of its own. It will continue to provide workshops, bursaries and scholarships, funding access, as well as present occasional special performances, and looks forward to supporting the vocal arts in the West Kootenays for many years to come.
For more information, please contact info@echovocalarts.ca
