Books have always opened new worlds for me, and still do. I owe everything to books, reading, public libraries, and parents who read with us and took us to the library. Fiction authors like Jean Ure set me free, and then Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic books led me back to classic culture; George Orwell’s famous allegorical fiction led me to his nonfiction social commentary, and autobiographies and fiction opened doors to new ways of seeing the world. I love books that help me learn about patterns of human behavior, to try and understand myself and others better.
About Marc Stevens
Marc Stevens has been the President + CEO of the Calgary Philharmonic since September 2021. Previously, he was the General Manager of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, serving as Acting Managing Director in the 2018/2019 Season. Under his leadership, the NAC Orchestra was invited to join the Canada Day performances broadcast on CBC, and the Orchestra received five Juno Award nominations, winning Best Classical Composition for recordings in 2018 and 2019. As a Director on the Board of Orchestras Canada from 2015 to 2020, Stevens led the creation of several strategic plans. He strives to champion gender parity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Prior to moving to Canada, Stevens spent 12 years at the London Symphony Orchestra; significant projects included the London 2012 Olympic Games Ceremonies and Trafalgar Square concerts, and hundreds of recordings such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. Stevens was over the moon to become a Canadian citizen in 2019; a journey that began when his wife spent two summers working in the Rocky Mountains and fell in love with Canada.