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Harbourfront shakeup
Following International Festival of Authors director Greg Gatenby ‘s departure from Harbourfront Centre comes word that Derek Andrews , director of music programming at Harbourfront, will not have his contract renewed. It’s a bit of a shock, since the globally minded Andrews has been bringing the roots music riches of the world to the lakeside venue for close to 18 years, and recent shows, including the Canadian debut of Senegal’s Orchestra Baobab , appeared to be hugely successful.
World music is not the hot trend it was in the mid-80s when Andrews took his position, and in recent years Harbourfront hasn’t been as proactive in presenting music that would appeal to a younger crowd.
“Derek’s company had a contract with Harbourfront and that contract came up for renewal,” explains Bruce Hutchinson , Harbourfront’s director of marketing and media relations. “We sat down, had a discussion and decided that we wanted to explore new avenues and new opportunities.
“At the present time, we haven’t yet decided what those new avenues might be, but hopefully we’ll be able to let everyone know very soon.”
