Friends of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver are beginning an ambitious campaign to help the string orchestra with a financial shortfall of about $70,000.

The 11-piece orchestra has been hurt by a combination of the sagging economy and wintry weather that kept concert-goers home in December.

Corporate donations are down, and the orchestra, which plays Baroque music by composers such as Haydn, Bach and Scarlatti, needs an additional $70,000 to get through the current season. Its total annual budget is about $300,000.

Supporters of the orchestra met Monday night to discuss ways to address the shortfall and decided to structure their fundraising campaign around the hiring of a new artistic director for the group, said general manager Nancy Cottingham Powell.

The orchestra has decided it wants to be led by the internationally-known harpsichordist and music director Alexander Weimann, who plays with Tafelmusik and Les Boreades in Montreal, among other groups.

"Things are going very well with negotiations, and all we really need is the money," Powell told CBC News.

"So, we decided we're going to form the Alex Weimann Club, and we're going to let the world know that if we can get enough money to bring Alex Weimann to Vancouver, he can be here on a regular basis."

The PBO has been without an artistic director since violinist Marc Destrubé stepped down last year, around the same time that long-time general manager Tom Durrie resigned.

The entry fee to join the Alex Weimann Club is a tax-deductible $5,000.

"The tone of last night was, let's stay positive," Powell said. "Let's let everyone know we're up for this, that we can get out there and do the work. I've had many people tell me that the money is still there — you just have to ask twice as many people. So, we're going to go out and ask twice as many people."

Powell said the orchestra has a core of loyal supporters who she believes will come through.

Ballet B.C. another Vancouver arts organization facing tough times, recently received a reprieve from its creditors.

"In times of hard economic challenges, I think people still want to reach out to the arts and be entertained, so I don't think individuals are running away from this," she said. "I think they're understanding that, especially if they're committed to an organization, that they need to be there for that organization during these times."

If the campaign is not successful, some of the three concert series the PBO plans in Vancouver later this year may be in jeopardy.

Their tour of northern B.C. — which includes stops in Kelowna, Kitimat, Terrace, Ft. St John and several other interior centres — is still on.

The PBO's next concert in Vancouver is called Foreign Invasion, highlighting music being made in London in the 18th century, and features the music of Haydn, Purcell and Scarlatti.

With files from CBC reporter Paul Grant