“I changed when, how, and why we met,” Bracewell explains. “But that was just the start. People understood we needed to bring the whole organization into modern times. In 2016 TOC installed high-end audio equipment – quite possibly the best in the city and certainly the best for the natural acoustics of our space. We also acknowledged that other elements needed to come up to standards. Organizations grow in stages and we’re doing that now. On the board, my focus was strategy. As Executive Director, it’s all about programming and outreach ”

Art as the Great Equalizer

The position suits her, too, utilizing many of Bracewell’s skills. At University, she studied art, and then went on to create it, both in Toronto and Los Angeles, where she ultimately came to oversee visual effects units on some of the most notable films of the decade. All the while, she was involved with, and supporting, nonprofits and the local art communities. Her strong belief is that the arts are essential to a healthy and complete life and shouldn’t be just the purview of the financially privileged. 

Bracewell explains how this belief guides her work at TOC: “Our community needs support in a variety of ways—and our mission guides how we do it. It's social service through culture; allied with the arts and a concert hall.”

Which also explains why Bracewell has focused so much on community and accessibility in her efforts. Since her first day, she’s been steadfastly preaching TOC’s unsurpassed quality as a music venue. But her vision reaches far beyond that. The goal, ultimately, is to become an invaluable resource to the arts community: A place for artists of all types to perform, collaborate, and be nurtured, while offering a cultural oasis for audiences, regardless of identity, class or wealth.