{"id":114000,"date":"2017-08-25T02:59:18","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T06:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=114000"},"modified":"2017-08-25T02:59:18","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T06:59:18","slug":"orchestra-group-under-fire-after-suggesting-only-fit-vocalists-can-perform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2017\/08\/25\/orchestra-group-under-fire-after-suggesting-only-fit-vocalists-can-perform\/","title":{"rendered":"Orchestra group under fire after suggesting only ‘fit’ vocalists can perform"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"A<\/a>
A Toronto organization providing live musical entertainment for events came under fire after an email from its management suggested it would only feature vocalists who are \u201cfit and slim\u201d in its boutique orchestras. (Photo By Pedro S\u00e1nchez – Own work, CC BY 2.5)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TORONTO \u2014 A Toronto organization providing live musical entertainment for events came under fire after an email from its management suggested it would only feature vocalists who are \u201cfit and slim\u201d in its boutique orchestras.<\/p>\n

Sydney Dunitz, who said she has worked as a volunteer vocalist with Sheraton Cadwell Orchestras for about five years, said she received the email on Monday night and posted a screen shot of it on Facebook, where it has since been shared more than 600 times.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been brought to our attention that although almost all of our vocalists are fit and slim \u2014 the way our boutique orchestras would like our front line performing artists to be \u2014 two of our featured singers were not,\u201d the email Dunitz received said.<\/p>\n

\u201cKindly note that for all future shows … only singers who are physically fit and slim (or, at the very least, those who know how to dress strategically\/suitably in order to not bring attention to their temporary physical\/dietary indulgences) would be showcased with our boutique orchestras.\u201d<\/p>\n

The email also said the organization doesn’t have the same expectations of instrumental musicians because they are \u201cessentially background wallpaper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunitz said she was shocked by the email, which she said goes beyond the parameters of a dress code.<\/p>\n

The Toronto resident, who also owns and works at a fitness studio, said she felt compelled to speak out because she tries to enforce body positivity at work every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI deal with women’s body issues and self-consciousness,\u201d she said. \u201cFor me to receive an email like that \u2014 which blatantly goes against everything I do, everything I believe in \u2014 was quite an undercut and it was quite shocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

She noted that a performer’s weight says nothing about their musical ability.<\/p>\n

When asked for comment, Sheraton Cadwell said in an email that its management was resigning and that the organization would be shutting down. It wasn’t clear if the reason the company was shutting down was related to the email Dunitz received.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn consideration of recent events in our personal lives, we hope that you would accept our notice of resignation with immediate effect,\u201d the email addressed to its members said.<\/p>\n

Incorporated in 1991, the company said it provides musicians to perform at weddings, corporate functions and other events around the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 A Toronto organization providing live musical entertainment for events came under fire after an email from its management …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":114006,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,16],"tags":[21895,21896,21894,21893],"class_list":["post-114000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news-ca","category-news","tag-orchestra-group","tag-sheraton-cadwell-orchestras","tag-vocalists","tag-fit-and-slim","mauthors-daniela-germano","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}