Editor:
I’m dismayed by the article last week reporting neighbours’ complaints about “noise” from an outdoor concert at High Beam Dreams (“Concert moved indoors following noise complaints by neighbours”). I attended the afternoon concert and know it fed the souls of the 30 people attending, safely spaced in a beautiful garden. I find both the complaints and the decision by the Town to act on them to be short-sighted and lacking compassion.
My first concern is that the complaints were exaggerated and unfair: the performances were only one-and-a-half hours and warm-up did not take another three. Traffic was certainly less than it would have been when in the past the church was full. The music did not carry far, as my friend who lives a block away was disappointed to hear nothing.
My second concern is for this business, which like many businesses has suffered during the pandemic. Many did not survive. Those that did need support as they attempt to start up again. I am disappointed and embarrassed that the Town has instead been punitive.
The Stratford Festival in Ontario is currently hosting two outdoor venues, both with three one-and-a-half-hour performances daily, each entertaining 100 (soon to be 200) patrons. One venue hosts cabarets of four musicians and four singers; the other host abbreviated Shakespeare plays. All performers are miked. My brother (who works for the Festival) tells me the music can be heard for two blocks in the surrounding neighbourhoods. How are the people of Stratford handling this “noise?” With compassion for the Festival and relief that some people are working again, understanding that special, temporary measures to keep people safe are needed until we get back to normal.
We all tolerate construction noise next door because it’s necessary to do so. Can we not also tolerate music?
Dr. Cheryl Malmo, Gibsons