Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) is a diverse choir and service organization powered by Broadway artists using music to inspire hope and change lives.
MUSIC IS OUR GIFT AND OUR SERVICE!
Hello Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) Family,
We hope this message finds you all doing well in 2025, continuing to say “YES” to joy, hope, and inspiring those around you We are so grateful for the opportunity to say “YES” to creating safe spaces for transformation and breakthrough for our community. And after 30 years, we feel more inspired to find creative and innovative ways to provide hope and inspiration 2024 was a year of intention - sharing the true spirit of BIV and spreading our love and message of inclusivity and togetherness Our year was made up of live performances at The Met Gala (NYC), Riverside Church (NYC), 9/11 Memorial & Museum (NYC), St. Paul & St Andrew Church (NYC), Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (NYC) as well as performances supporting the efforts of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and recording projects supporting ALS Awareness (the “Impossible Dream” project), and bipartisan organization Broadway Votes BIV also carried our voices into spaces where grief was heavy and we took the opportunity to uplift and celebrate the loss of lives of people that we love and respect With each opportunity, we have transformed spaces and left hearts a little more hopeful Our Arts and Education Programs continued to partner with Covenant House–New Jersey and New York, Ronald McDonald House–New York, LaGuardia HIgh School (gospel choir), GRIOT Circle (Seniors), and individuals to offer support through music and service And because of your support we were able to gift 200 FREE tickets to our holiday gospel concert in December
Our intentionality continues in 2025 with an awards ceremony and fundraising concert honoring our founder Michael McElroy and longtime friend and supporter Tom Viola on April 7th. It has been nothing short of a GIFT for us to reflect on all that BIV has done over the past 30 years To reflect on the power of “yes” from one, and then another might leave us celebrating for the next 30 years
As we look toward the next fiscal year we have big hopes and aspirations for BIV’s reach We will say “YES” to more people in need and to the underserved. We will give hope to the hopeless, inspire people to step out of comfort zones, spread a little more love, and continue to transform lives with our music and service!!!
Your continued support allows us to answer the call with a cheerful YES Thank you!!
Allen René Louis, Artistic Director
Angela Grovey, Executive Director
● BIV performed in a concert celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at The Riverside Church
● Shabbat on Broadway: BIV joined many other Broadway stars at an inclusive event focused on healing and connecting communities.
● Broadway Backwards: BIV, backing Joshua Henry, helped Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS raise a record-breaking sum at this annual event.
● BIV backed Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the Met Gala finale.
● BIV performed at the Institute for Community Living Gala, “Celebrating Hope and Recovery.”
● BIV joined Aaron Lazar’s Grammy-nominated Impossible Dream recording, raising awareness to end ALS and raising funds to benefit the ALS Network.
● BIV members joined the Broadway community in honoring Steven Lutvak with a tribute performance in July
● BIV’s 30th Anniversary launched with a Kickoff Concert at St. Paul and St Andrew Church in the fall.
● BIV performed at a private memorial event on 9/11.
● BIV partnered with Alex Newell to get out the vote with a new arrangement of Keep Marching from the musical Suffs.
● BIV was featured on NBC’s New York Live in honor of our 30th season.
● BIV honored choir member Gavin Creel at his celebration of life.
● Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Red Bucket Follies: We celebrated Broadway’s fall fundraising season with our long-standing partner BC/EFA.
● The Gift: A Holiday Concert & Live Recording: BIV’s annual holiday concert bringing joy and inspiration to our community debuted at a new venue and included a live recording for future release!
BIV also participated in private events honoring and memorializing friends and loved ones of the organization.
Our mission of service in the community is two prong: We serve through our Arts & Education Outreach programs and also, in keeping with BIV’s mission as founded by Michael McElroy 30 years ago, we bring hope and comfort through performance to our community in times of need
BIV Arts and Education programs had another explosive year of partnerships including our newest “BIV@” with The Griot Circle in Brooklyn The Griot Circle is a Senior Facility with an LGBTQI+ African American demographic
We started off the year with one of our longest-running Arts and Education programs, “Songs In The Key Of Me” at Ronald McDonald House–New York (RMH) We were happy to introduce three new songwriters to our program, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph & Paul Rudolph (Sesame Street), and Masi Asare (Paradise Square) to two RMH families Our songwriters wrote songs about the ability of being the joy to everyone you meet (“Francis: The Mayor of Joy”) and the courage it takes to find the positive in every situation (“Being Brave”) Unfortunately, shortly after our program began one of our youth participants, Francis, became very ill and suddenly passed, but Francis’s mother reminded us how important this program is to the healing process of each family participating and asked us to continue the program and songwriting as a memoriam to Francis What a beautiful moment to witness and to know BIV was there with the power of healing through music!
In our “BIV @” programming we had a chance to be fearless with over 100 Covenant House residents in both New York and New Jersey (Newark & Atlantic City), opening up our 10-month season with an Open Mic! The season continued with The Art of Storytelling, Acting 101, The Art of Improv, and a goal setting session titled “Let’s Soar in 2024” just to name a few. We made affirmation decorated candles to encourage us along the way as we reached for our goals in 2024! At the pilot of our “BIV@” Senior Facilities session with The Griot Circle in Brooklyn, we celebrated music, poetry and stories! Seniors of the Brooklyn community had a chance to dance and sing with members of BIV during a sing-along with a live pianist as we went down memory lane of some of their favorite songs, and they shared their stories of hope past and present As a result of its success, we will pilot a second “BIV@” Senior Facilities session in 2025
“We Lit” was a phrase spoken by one of our LaGuardia student mentees in our BIV Mentorship Program: Choirs Back for our 3rd year with 80 students of the LaGuardia High School Gospel Choir, we sang, we danced, we praised, expanding our mentor presence to 9 BIV mentors, and one Teaching Artist participating alongside the LaGuardia students Our student mentees learned the history of gospel music, the proper techniques of warming up, storytelling, and the secrets of creating the BIV sound But most importantly they learned the importance of music and service Broadway Inspirational Voices participated in the 2024 Laguardia High School Gospel Spring concert, and as an extension of our mentorship program, 25 LaGuardia students and a student director were invited to both the BIV 30th Anniversary Kick-Off Concert and the BIV 30th Anniversary Holiday Concert to sing alongside Broadway Inspirational Voices Students participating in these concerts had a chance to see first hand what it means to be an advocate of music and service in the community!
We are also excited to be recipients of a generous grant from the Jeffrey Seller Family Foundation for our “BIV@” Programming! Proudly employing 20+ Artists throughout the 2024 season, BIV Arts and Education programming looks forward to the 2025 season extending more “BIV@” pilot programming not only with the Senior community but also with the Gilda’s House organization, created by Gilda Radner as a safe space for families and youth dealing with cancer diagnoses of family members We continue to search for ways we can serve our community with the healing power of music and arts!
Tasha Michelle Smith Program Director
BIV Arts & Education programs are made possible with the generous and longstanding support from our lead funders and diverse family of supporters.
Dear Broadway Inspirational Voices Family,
As we reflect on 2024, the word that resonates for me is momentum This year has been one of extrao energy, forward movement, and transformative impact to the unwavering dedication of our BIV family
Momentum drives us forward in pursuit of our use the power of music to bring hope, healing, and con communities in need From our outreach programs in J the choir’s extraordinary Holiday Concert in December, sung, every young person served, every elder shut-in r every life touched in 2024 reflects the collective effort o members, supporters, board, staff, and volunteers
This year, we broke new ground in ways that d the breadth and depth of our impact We continued to artistry with performances that inspired and uplifted diverse audiences. From intimate settings to grand stages, our voices echoed messages of unity and love. We also deepened our commitment to community service, bringing music to spaces where it is needed most, creating moments of healing and joy for those facing profound challenges.
What keeps this momentum alive? It’s the spirit of collaboration that defines BIV. Our choir members remarkable individuals who bring their talent and passion to every performance are the lifeblood of our organization. Our board and staff tirelessly champion the mission, ensuring that BIV is positioned for sustainability and growth. And, most importantly, you. Your belief in our mission fuels our ability to dream bigger, reach farther, and make a lasting impact.
After the December holiday concert, I was chatting with one of our wonderful choir members, reflecting on how perfect an evening we’d just experienced together I asked a rhetorical question: “Where on earth do we go from here?” Without hesitation, her response was, “Up and out ”
As Board Chair, that is my BIV clarion call for 2025 There is so much for us to do together We will go “up” as we take BIV to new heights of artistic excellence, helping audiences experience the transcendence that every performance brings And we will move “out” as we expand our audience, make our music available on a much larger scale, and serve many more homeless youth, students, elders, and other hurting people Up and out!
As you read through this year’s report, you will see the collective power of what we’ve achieved together Each story, every statistic, and all the lives we’ve touched stand as a testament to the transformative power of our music and the heart of the BIV family
With deepest gratitude and anticipation for all that lies ahead,
Rob Acton Board Chair
Broadway Inspirational Voices
(Photo by Find the Light Photography)
Chair: Robert B. Acton, Founder & CEO, Cause Strategy Partners
Vice Chair: Leslie Barrett, Managing Director, Situation Interactive; Black Theatre United Second Vice Chair: John Eric Parker, Independent Entertainment Professional; Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Secretary: Dina Sarno Slawson, Owner & Artistic Director, Academy of Theatre Arts; Young Performers of America
Treasurer: Joseph Cerrone, Director, Structured Fund Solutions
Director: Dan’l Mackey Almy, Founder & CEO, DMA Solutions, Inc.; Co-Host of The Self Smarter Podcast
Director: Sylvie Armand, Go to Market; AI Video Ads Strategy Lead at Google
Director: Bruce Cohen, Producer, Bold Choices Productions
Director: Allyson Tucker Mitchell, Independent Entertainment Professional; Black Theatre United
Director: Kevin Ryan, Producer, Half Zip Productions; Co-Founder, Broadway Sleep Out for Covenant House
Director: Danielle D. Taylor, M.D., Pediatrician (General Pediatrics), Columbia University Department of Pediatrics
Founder & Founding Artistic Director: Michael McElroy
Chair Emeritus: Phylicia Rashad
Director Emeritus: Di Ana Pisarri *In Memoriam
$49,999 - $25,000
Rob Acton, Cause Strategy Partners
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Kevin M Ryan
$24,999 - $10,000
Dan'l Almy
American Endowment Fund
Tim Croneberger
Kenneth and Rosemary Willman
$9,999 - $5,000
Joseph Cerrone and Arnaud Blanchard
Leslie Barrett and Jerome Kane
Joshua Rosenthal Fund
Dina and Dan Slawson
$4,999 - $1,000
American Online Giving Foundation
Sylvie Armand
Pauline and Mike Brandmeyer
Stephen Dahlem
Thomas Durein
Steve French
Benjamin and Heather Grizzle
Telly Leung
Micah Marquez
Mirapaul Foundation
Joseph Obermayer
Catherine Porter
Doran Ricks
Alice Torre
$999 - $500
Torya Beard
Wilson Echevarria
Ford Foundation
Theresa Piliero
Becca Rothschild
Cynthia Vance
Julie McGovern Voyzey
