President’s Note

community at large. Michael Squitieri President of the Board

As we enter Choral Chameleon’s next decade, our 11th season provided an opportunity for us to reflect on our standing in the choral world and how we could best lay the groundwork for the next ten years. Our supporters have been familiar with our adventurous programming and an anything-can-happen concert experience, while our collaborators have embraced our welcoming, collaborative space for artistic risk-taking. This season reaffirmed our reputation for both our supporters and collaborators, while expanding our reach and presence in the press and choral

We were honored this Season to welcome LA-based, in-demand composer Dale Trumbore as our Composer-in-Residence, whose work has been performed by choirs of all kinds, including by high-profile groups like the Los Angeles Master Chorale. She was drawn to our adventurous programming and our ability to create a positive space for collaboration and expression. We are excited to welcome her into the Choral Chameleon family!

One of the most joyful programs of our season, and perhaps in recent years, was Goshu Ondo Suite, a stunning evening length work for jazz trio and choir in collaboration with the Eri Yamamoto Trio. While Eri was researching potential choirs to collaborate with on this project, Choral Chameleon quickly bubbled to the top of her list. She felt confident in our ability to be enthusiastic collaborators in her piece, from singing off-book in Japanese, to wearing traditional haori, and teaching our audience the Obon dance.

We would be unable to maintain, let alone expand, our reputation as a choral laboratory without robust fundraising. We expanded on our crowdfunding initiative by migrating to a zero cost platform with Facebook donations and successfully took part in their Giving Tuesday matching program. During our annual strategic planning session, we met with a professional development expert, and expanded our analysis of our donors, attendees, and supporters to strategize on a direct ask initiative. Our continued investments in grant writing resulted in our first award from the New York State Council on the Arts, highlighting our expanding credibility in the arts marketplace.

Our reputation for adventurous programming has welcomed new collaborators, supporters, and music lovers. But how do we expand our audience in this new decade, especially ones that are not located in the Tri-State area? This season brought our first investments in recording projects, with both the Goshu Ondo and Deus Ex Machina programs recorded for future commercial release. This will make sure that even more people will have access to the joyful, innovative work that we do, regardless of where they may be located.

As this is my first year as President of the Board of Directors, I would like to give special thanks to Nicole Belmont for laying a strong foundation for this role over 4 years, and whom I have leaned on for support countless times. I would also like to thank Eddie Maddalena, a longtime volunteer, who stepped into the role of Treasurer. With his experience as an accountant, I know we are in good hands!

Season 11 exemplified the steady progress we have made as an organization to expand into a larger national and international presence in the choral music world. All of the work and progress would be impossible without the support of all of our musicians, concert goers, donors, board members, and volunteers who I thank wholeheartedly.