Voice Fall/Winter 2020

Voice THE

Vo l u m e 4 4 N u m b e r 1

Monetizing Digital Events Maintaining Your Momentum The Post-Election Work Ahead for Choruses

Singing Together during the Pandemic

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10 | Not-Too-Close Harmony: The Art and Science of

Singing Together During the Pandemic

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Digital Content Revenue Strategies During the Pandemic and Beyond

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24 | Maintaining Your Momentum During a Long-Term Crisis

Programs and Membership Associate Karyn Castro

© Ja ke Ch ri sto ph er

President & CEO Catherine Dehoney Vice President of Communications and Membership Liza W. Beth

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From the President & CEO

Choruses, This Is the Work Ahead

by Catherine Dehoney

This publication is supported with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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D E P A R T ME N T S 4

Chorus Connections Member News, Events, & Announcements

On the Cover: The St. Charles Singers, making music together four months into the pandemic at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in suburban Chicago, to record a set of YouTube videos collectively titled “Courage to Sing”

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from the president & ceo

Choruses, This Is the Work Ahead In the wake of the 2020 election season, the work at hand for Chorus America and our community is clear.

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spent election night watching a movie to keep anxiety at bay, with brief breaks to check on the news. Every update on the vote count felt like another confirmation of the division present in our country and the uncertainty we all face. At one point, my husband, Bill, turned to me with a tired sigh and said, “Choruses are great, but I don’t think you can sing your way out of this.”

The 2020 presidential election was a consequential event for America and the world, make no mistake. But the outcome does not change the work at hand for Chorus America and our community. As we turn from the around-the-clock news watch of the past few weeks to looking toward the future, it’s clear that we have a lot of important work to do.

We must work together to weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our communities need strong choruses to inspire and serve in the rebuilding to come, and we need each other to stay strong.

That means staying connected about research and technology that provide new solutions and highlighting the amazing work choruses are continuing to do in the face of challenges. It also means making the case for our field’s value and need to legislators, funders, and other decision-makers who can offer support.

We must take action for racial and social justice. Let’s recognize the heightened focus on racism and injustice against Black Americans and all people of color as an opportunity and an imperative to make meaningful change. Our research shows that choral singers value tolerance, respect diversity, and believe singing has made them more accepting of people who are different from them. We have a responsibility to leverage this foundation and the conversations that are happening in our field to take action in our organizations and communities.

We know that the millions of choral singers in the United States believe in the power of community and are willing to work for it. The sheer magnitude of that force for good gives me hope.

We must use the power of singing together to bring people together. It would be an oversimplification— and even trite—to believe, as my husband said, that we can “sing our way out of this.” But there is real power in the way that choral music leads us to express our values, builds empathy and compassion, and heals pain. There is real power in people with different points of view creating beauty, inspiration, and connection together.

In times of uncertainty, I find purpose in building on what we know to be true. We know from our research that over 54 million people in the United States are choral singers. We know that those millions of people believe in the power of community and are willing to work for it. The sheer magnitude of that force for good gives me hope.

I’m thinking of those millions of choral leaders and singers as I look toward the weeks and months ahead. I’m thinking of you. We will move forward together, singing.

Catherine Dehoney President & CEO, Chorus America

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The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

A nn o u nc e m e nt s

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he Crossing of Philadelphia (pictured) presented two new premieres uniquely designed to be performed during the pandemic. David Lang’s “in nature,” premiered August 1, combined in real time singers who were pre-recorded with distanced singers of the Montana-based choir Roots in the Sky performing live. On October 3 “The Forest,” developed by conductor Donald Nally and assistant conductor Kevin Vondrak, placed singers along an outdoor trail loop at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where small pods of distanced audience members walked the trail at timed intervals to experience the performance.

On October 24 the Chicago Chamber Choir premiered Hear, Return, Arise for socially distanced and masked outdoor choir, commissioned from composer Ed Frazier Davis for the choir’s 25th anniversary season. The premiere included cinematography by Emmy Award-winner Harry Watson and a video recording in collaboration with the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods and the Smith Nature Symposium.

The documentary film OUT LOUD, which chronicles the first season of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and the lead-up to its public performance debut, premiered on May 9 at the Seattle Transgender Film Festival. The film was

also screened as part of several other film festivals this summer and fall.

As part of a season kickoff on October 17 celebrating its 42nd birthday, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus unveiled the world premiere of “What Will We Hear?,” written by Tony and Grammy Award nominee Andrew Lippa and performed by Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth.

Mostly Music: The Journey of the Chorus of Westerly, a retrospective of the history and programs of the Chorus of Westerly, premiered on August 30 at the Misquamicut Drive-In Theater in Westerly, Rhode Island. The documentary received a finalist nomination in the short films category at the New York Film and TV Festival.

The Choral Arts Society of Washington will premiere Kile Smith’s new arrangement of “Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow” at its virtual holiday program on December 13. The premiere is the result of an auction item offered at the 2019 Chorus America Conference—a commissioned work from Smith that was won by Choral Arts.

In a production featuring 163 singers, dancers, drummers, and performers from 23 countries, the New York-based pop/rock band October Project released the premiere of its video “Virtual Choir of Joy” on October 30. The music is also featured on the group’s new audio recording, The Book of Rounds: 21 Songs of Grace. n

Awards

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lektra Women’s Choir artistic director and Chorus America board member Morna Edmundson (pictured) was inducted into the CBC Radio Classical Music Hall of Fame on September 27. CBC Radio marked the

Choral Field Embraces the Democratic Process

Game-Changing Technology for Remote Singing

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For Nolan Williams Jr.’s music video “I Have a Right to Vote,” singers perform in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Video produced by NEWorks Productions and Dale A. Mott/Edgewood)

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iving up to research findings that tout the civic leadership of choral singers, choruses and composers used the power of their art to encourage the public to make their voices heard in the muchanticipated 2020 United States general election.

increase voter motivation leading up to the national election. The video weaves in historic footage of the Civil Rights Movement and memorable words of voting rights icons.

In honor of National Voter Registration Day on September 22, members of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus contributed to a video of Leonard Bernstein’s “Take Care of This House” (from the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), produced by pianist and activist Lara Downes to raise awareness of the ACLU Voting Rights Project. Also, on the first day of early voting in New York State the chorus hosted Voice the Vote, a panel discussion highlighting young people’s perspectives on the importance of voting, moderated by NYCLU executive director Donna Lieberman.

Commonwealth Youthchoirs (pictured) of Philadelphia opened the first-ever virtual Democratic National Convention with a virtual choir rendition of the national anthem. Comprising singers from Keystone State Boychoir, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, New Jersey Boychoir, and Garden State Girlchoir, a diverse 57-member chorus represented a tie to each U.S. state, district, or territory.

The Crossing, based in Philadelphia, embarked on a project called The Crossing Votes: 2020.

Short films of four compositions, each addressing issues in the national discourse—“stateless” by David Lang, “she took his hands” by Nicholas Cline, “Democracy” by Robert Maggio, and “Shift”

by Ayanna Woods—were released sequentially the week before the election at 5:38 a.m., signifying the U.S.’s 538 electoral votes.

Nolan Williams Jr. brought together a star-studded cast of narrators and distanced singers in various locales arounds the country for his voting rights anthem music video “I Have a Right to Vote,” created to raise awareness around voter suppression, encourage voter education and registration, and

occasion with a special broadcast of In Concert with Paolo Pietropaolo, which featured highlights of Edmundson’s career and recordings

by Elektra. Edmundson also began her term as president-elect of Choral Canada this year.

Chorus America board chair Brian Newhouse and October Project lyricist Julie

Flanders were both named winners of the American Choral Directors Association’s Genesis Prize, which awarded commissions for poet-composer partnerships to create a new work that responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newhouse has teamed up with composer Kyle Pederson for a piece to be entitled “Call u

ith some help from Silicon Valley, we may be on our way to overcoming the choral field’s most persistent hurdle during the pandemic—latency from internet connections that prevents choruses from truly being able to hear each other and sing together synchronously online. Software entrepreneur Mike Dickey, a parent of the Ragazzi Boys Chorus (pictured) of San Mateo, California, worked with Stanford University researchers to develop a technology platform called JackTrip Virtual Studio that makes real-time remote singing possible with common internet connections.

The setup, successfully tested by the chorus, requires a small device that costs about $150 for each singer and a free software program.

“It’s working for hundreds of people,” says Dickey, noting that slower internet connections and distances greater than 600 miles still pose problems. “It’s not the final solution, at least not yet.” He is working to expand the platform’s service beyond the five North American metropolitan areas where it is currently available.

The technology addresses only the latency of audio transmission; Virtual Studio does not eliminate the lag in video, meaning that singers still can’t rely on a conductor’s on-screen gestures in order to keep time. Ragazzi’s artistic and executive director Kent Jue observes that this drawback has served to sharpen the listening skills of his choristers, and he says the experience is still absolutely enjoyable: “It was pretty glorious to see the boys’ faces light up after hearing their buddies sing together for the first time in six months.” Chorus America interviewed Jue and Dickey for the inaugural episode of our new video series ChorTechs (see pg. 9 for more).

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chorus connections

Adapting Traditions for a Virtual Holiday Season

Across,” and Flanders will work with composer Carlos Cardero on their new piece, “Holding Our Breath.”

University of San Diego associate professor of music Emilie Amrein (pictured) is the recipient of the school’s inaugural Seed and Nourish Digital Humanities Award in recognition of her work to develop The Choral Commons, a virtual space for choirs and conductors that produces podcasts, interactive webinars, and curated resources on equity, innovation, and community engagement. Chorus America is proud to be a community partner of this project.

Marking its 40th anniversary season, the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus was honored with a 2020 Governor’s Arts Award, Oregon’s highest honor for exemplary service to the arts.

Chorus America members were well represented among this year’s recipients of the American Prize, a competition recognizing achievement in the musical and theater arts. Receiving first-place honors were San Francisco Choral Artists (choral performance, community division), the Angelica Cantanti Children’s and Youth Choirs of Bloomington, Minnesota (choral performance, school division), Baltimore Choral Arts music director Anthony Blake Clark (choral conducting, community division), Angelica Cantanti Treble Singers conductor Philip Brown (choral conducting, school division), and Seattle-based composer John Muehleisen (choral composition, major works). Also recognized in the choral performance category were Baltimore Choral Arts, the Susquehanna Chorale (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania), and the Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble (Amherst, Massachusetts). n

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Releases

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appella Records, the Naxos-distributed recording label operated

by Portland, Oregon-based Cappella Romana, released Benedict Sheehan’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, sung by the Saint Tikhon Choir under Sheehan’s direction. The physical release includes a Blu-Ray video package in addition to a CD. 6

The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

n a year when choruses and audiences are not able to gather in concert venues for some of their most beloved and time-honored traditions, many groups are coming up with new ways to celebrate the season.

Two musically distinct Philadelphia-area choruses with a penchant for collaboration will jointly produce a masked and distanced outdoor performance video entitled Christmas together in a time of separation. Bucks County Choral Society (pictured) and Philadelphia Heritage Chorale had planned a joint concert for June 2021 but the pandemic may prevent that from happening. The choruses met in October to film the project and talk to each other about how their communities are handling the pandemic.

Over 30 choruses from the metropolitan Atlanta area are joining together to create Georgia’s Home for the Holidays, a 35-day series of seasonal musical videos shared through social media channels. Organized by the Atlanta Master Chorale, the Michael O’Neal Singers, and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the event runs from the day after Thanksgiving and continues to December 31.

Ahead of their streamed concert on December 19, Thomas Circle Singers in Washington DC will send advance ticket holders a digital holiday booklet including carols for a sing-along as well as some favorite Christmas cookie recipes. The group has also invited friends from a local distillery to share some holiday cocktail recipes. It will be a tall order for the Bach Society of St. Louis to top its live Christmas Candlelight Concert—

In July on the Delos label, the Taylor Festival Choir of Charleston, South Carolina, released So Hallow’d the Time, a new recording of original Christmas music by composers Stephen Paulus and Brian Galante that includes the world premiere recordings of Paulus’s “Christmas Dances” and Galante’s “So Hallow’d the Time.”

The Gothic Catalog released A New England Requiem: Sacred Choral Music

by Scott Perkins, including the world premiere recording of Perkins’s sevenmovement requiem, which joins traditional Latin mass texts with poems by New England authors Emily Dickinson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Lydia Sigourney. iSing Silicon Valley of Palo Alto, California, released its debut album, Here I Stand, in August. The CD includes the

hailed by BBC Music Magazine as one of the Top 20 Live Christmas Events in North America—so this year the chorus has created some VIP experiences, including options such as a live pre-show event with music director Dennis Sparger and a goodie box of champagne and hors d’oeuvres delivered to attendees’ doorsteps.

Jacksonville Children’s Chorus’s annual holiday show, The Cool Side of Yuletide, has been transformed into a drive-in concert, to be held at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds. Gates will open early and attendees will be treated to holiday cartoons in their vehicles before this performance, created to evoke the screening of a holiday film.

Choruses are also offering virtual concerts that debut at a specific time, and then remain available to view for a longer window during the season. Santa Fe Desert Chorale is curating a program that mixes performances by soloists, duets, quartets, and the full ensemble that will begin on December 12 and be accessible through Christmas Day. New Jersey’s Ars Musica Chorale has a program combining virtual and small-group, in-person performances with readings and special guests, running December 12–31.

world premiere recording of composer Adam Schoenberg’s “Never Shall I Forget,” which is the result of Chorus America’s 2018 Dale Warland Singers Commission Award.

In August, Denver-based Kantorei released Sing, Wearing the Sky, an album of choral works by Jake Runestad, on the Naxos label.

Together with the Clarion Choir, the Saint Tikhon Choir, and the Kansas City Chorale, the Cathedral Choral Society of Washington DC released the complete and revised 17-movement version of Alexander Kastalsky’s 1917 Requiem for orchestra, choir, and soloists. The Naxos recording captured a live performance conducted by Leonard Slatkin that commemorated the centenary of the World War I Armistice.

Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) debuted a new virtual album entitled Heroes, dedicated to frontline

workers in New York City and around the country, recorded remotely by the children of YPC from their homes.

The Los Angeles Master Chorale released its recording of Eric Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil, which the chorus premiered in February 2019, on Signum Classics.

Voices of Silicon Valley, San Jose, California, released the album Voices of Our Time on the Orpheus Classical label this fall, featuring compositions by artistic director Cyril Deaconoff and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s rarely performed major work Stimmung. n

Appointments and Retirements

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oston Children’s Chorus (BCC) appointed Andrés Holder (pictured) as executive director.

Holder joins BCC from the Washington Ballet, where he served as general manager. u

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n partnership with Heritage Film Project and Melodious Accord, Chorus America hosted the October 8 premiere of ALICE: At Home with Alice Parker, a new documentary illuminating Parker’s life and art, directed by filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley. The virtual event featured a Q&A with Parker and the premiere recording of Parker’s new work “On the Common Ground,” performed by vocalists from Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis.

With immense gratitude, during the premiere event we announced the creation of the Alice Parker Fund and set a goal of raising $50,000 to establish the fund. Those who are interested in contributing can contact André Coleman, associate director of development, at andre@chorusamerica.org.

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Commemorating the 19th Amendment: Singing about Suffrage and Exploring Intersectionality

©Arnaud Pyvka

chorus connections

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The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

VOX Femina Los Angeles presented Shout the Revolution! virtually on November 1.

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ike many political movements, the suffrage movement was inherently linked with music, making the centennial of the 19th Amendment’s ratification a natural programmatic theme in 2020. Many choruses are commemorating this milestone by finding ways to highlight the contributions of voices of color to the women’s movement and to acknowledge that movement’s complicated history.

Blending historical images and footage with videos of its singers, VOX Femina Los Angeles honored female empowerment and the right to vote by presenting Shout the Revolution! on November 1, just ahead of Election Day. This event featured the film premiere of the Suffrage Cantata, commissioned from composer Andrea Ramsey.

In keeping with its mission of social justice, MUSE Cincinnati’s Women’s Choir has been releasing short virtual concerts over the past several months as part of its My Vote, My Voice, My Right series. The initiative culminated in a November 1 virtual concert and rally focused on the 19th Amendment’s centennial, Black women’s experience, youth civic participation, income disparity, modernday barriers to voting, and LGBTQ rights.

This August, GALA Choruses hosted a virtual program to premiere its 2020 Catherine Roma Commission Project, Lifting as We Climb.

Joan Szymko’s four-movement work, taking its title from the writings of Black suffragist Mary Church Terrell, highlights silenced or seldom-heard voices to shine a light on historical inequities and the present-day disenfranchisement of many Americans, while still celebrating the progress we’ve made.

©Kar is sa Van Tas se l

Brian Newhouse, who serves as chair of the Chorus America board, has been named associate vice president of individual giving at the Minnesota Orchestra. Newhouse (pictured) was formerly the director of classical programming at Minnesota Public Radio, where he was the long-time host of the orchestra’s concert broadcasts on MPR. Linda Moxley (pictured), a member of the Chorus America board, was appointed executive director of the Sarasota (Florida) Concert Association.

Moxley was previously vice president of marketing and communications for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Voce Chamber Singers of Reston, Virginia, named David Mann (pictured) as the group’s new artistic director. Mann also directs the choirs at Unity Reed High School in Manassas, Virginia.

The Falmouth (Massachusetts) Chorale has welcomed Krishan Oberoi (pictured) as its new artistic director. Oberoi is the founding artistic director and principal guest conductor of SACRA/PROFANA in San Diego and director of choral activities at Providence College.

Paul Rudoi (pictured) has been appointed as artistin-residence by the National Lutheran Choir. Rudoi is also artistic director of the St. John’s Boys Choir in Collegeville, Minnesota, and is the CEO and founder of Consortio, a platform that facilitates commission consortiums.

Colorado Children’s Chorale named Jared Joseph (pictured) as assistant conductor.

Joseph comes to the chorale from Ohio, where he was a high school vocal music director and was also recently appointed to the Organization for American Kodály Educators’ National Conference Choir Committee.

Jenny Wong (pictured) was promoted to the newly created role of associate artistic director at the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Wendy Moy (pictured) was appointed dual assistant professor of music education at Syracuse University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education, conducting, rehearsal techniques, and choral literature in addition to directing SU’s treble chorus.

Chorosynthesis (Seattle) is organizing the Votes for Women Choral Consortium. Composed

by Melissa Dunphy and a team of text curators, Amendment: Righting Our Wrongs will spotlight women of color who have been underrepresented in the national conversation regarding women’s rights over the past 100 years.

Rightfully Ours, a fully staged choral music and dance co-production with the Berkeley Ballet Theater and the San Francisco Girls Chorus’s (SFGC) Premier Ensemble, premiered in February 2020. The program featured new work by seven choreographers set to contemporary choral repertoire, including two world premiere SFGC commissions by women composers: Angélica Negrón and Aviya Kopelman.

As part of its three-year Trailblazers commissioning project honoring pioneering American women, Peninsula Women’s Chorus of Palo Alto presented the virtual premiere of composer Jocelyn Hagen’s Hands upon the Plow, honoring women’s suffrage champion Alice Paul, on October 3.

VocalEssence (Minneapolis) commemorated a century of lifting up women’s voices at the ballot box by featuring music composed by women in the past 100 years, in a concert that debuted October 18.

A COVID-19 cancellation in March didn’t stop the Atlanta Women’s Chorus from presenting its 19th Amendment centenary program. She Rises, the organization’s first-ever virtual concert, premiered July 30.

–Jennifer Weyman See full article at bit.ly/CA19Amend.

Thomas Burton (pictured) was appointed as the new artistic director of Oshawa, Ontario’s RESOUND Choir.

Burton, a 2018 Chorus America Conducting Academy alumnus, also serves as director of music at Munn’s United Church in Oakville, Ontario, and as

©James Geiger

a conductor with the Oakville Choir for Children and Youth.

Joe Nadeau (pictured) has been named the new artistic director of Fountain City Performing Arts in Kansas City. Nadeau serves on the board of GALA Choruses and has previously directed several choruses affiliated with GALA. William Southerland (pictured) was appointed as artistic director of Windy City Gay Men’s Chorus and Windy City Treble Quire in Chicago. Southerland served on GALA Choruses’ Open Table, a committee that recently published A New Harmony, a workbook on best practices in addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in choral ensembles.

Tim Sharp (pictured), executive director of the American Choral Directors Association, announced his retirement after 13 years of leadership. Sharp will continue serving the choral field as a board member of the

New and Notewort h y at C horu s America Video Interview Series Launch This October, Chorus America launched two new video interview series to provide another platform for conversation around important topics in the choral field. ChorTechs explores innovation and creative uses of technology in the choral field amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rising Voices, cohosted with Tonality founder and artistic director Alexander Lloyd Blake, engages guests and viewers in conversations on how the choral field can make tangible progress to address diversity, equity, and inclusion. To be notified of newly released interviews, subscribe to Chorus America’s YouTube page.

Expanded Efforts to Promote Virtual Choral Events To serve member choruses searching for outlets to promote virtual programs to wider audiences, Chorus America is stepping up efforts to highlight

International Federation for Choral Music, vice president of Musica International, and artistic director of the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus.

After 27 years, founder Jonathan Miller (pictured) retired as artistic director of

these events in our bi-weekly Update e-newsletters and in a new monthly roundup email. We also continue to spotlight unique and timely projects on our blog and develop accessible, responsive paid advertising offerings for strategic additional visibility.

To submit events, visit the user-generated Calendar and Member News sections of our website.

Continued Data Collection on COVID-19 Impact and Chorus Operations Chorus America continues to collect and disseminate valuable data on the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, releasing the 2020 Chorus Operations Survey Report in October with information on the first few months of the pandemic’s impact as well as pre-pandemic operations data from the 2018–19 season. Our Fall 2020 Chorus Survey in November provided an update and gathered additional data on current singing practices, season planning, and more.

Chicago a cappella, transitioning to the role of artistic director emeritus. Miller also continues to serve as artistic director and CEO of Sounds Good! Choir. n

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Not-Too-Close Harmony:

The Art and Science of Singing Together During the Pandemic Alongside research into treatment of COVID-19, scientists around the world are conducting studies that are identifying the most effective ways to avoid contracting the virus when people choose to be near each other. Across the country, several choruses are applying some of these findings in an effort to develop safe ways to resume a behavior the pandemic has made risky: singing together in the same space.

This story examines ways they are approaching the challenge and lessons they are learning.

BY DON LEE

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nticipating Beethoven’s 250th birthday in December, Washington DC’s Cathedral Choral Society (CCS) had planned a Beethoven festival as a centerpiece for its 2020–21 season. Then the pandemic hit, and those plans were scrubbed—but not entirely. Scaling back the festival idea, the chorus decided to produce a short “cinematic video presentation” centered on a few of the composer’s less familiar, small-scale vocal works, says executive director Christopher Eanes. CCS is one of several 10 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

choruses that have decided a tightly controlled recording environment would offer a reasonable way to get back to singing together in person. As Eanes was developing a set of safety protocols for the group’s October session, he ran his draft by a physician on his board, who emailed back with a suggestion: “‘You should try sending this to Dr. Fauci’”—meaning Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health and perhaps America’s most trusted authority on COVID-19.

Eanes recalls chuckling at the suggestion,

but he moved on it “because what do you have to lose in these situations?” A day or two later, Eanes and Fauci connected for a brief phone call. “We only chatted for about seven minutes,” Eanes says, “but it was very helpful.”

Choral music leaders need all the help they can get as they make plans to sing together safely. Dr. Fauci doesn’t have time to return everyone’s calls, so where else is there to look for the latest, most reliable research? Choruses also need to interpret and sift those findings and to develop effective plans for making choral singing safe despite the coronavirus. What gives them confidence they’re making the right decisions? In the process, what are they learning? In the end, are the risk and effort worth it?

Any choral musician understands why they are trying. Austin Willacy, for instance, calls it “agony” to be deprived of the joy of singing with friends in the Oakland-based Thrive Choir, a group “born to sing the music for the revolution,” in the words of its website. Thrive made its first music video during the pandemic, but Willacy, the co-director, can’t wait for the time when they’re back together every week, masks off, standing next to each other, “hearing my voice curl around and hug another person’s voice the way that only happens when you’re singing together real-time.” The pandemic has caused him to realize that, along with

True Concord Voices and Orchestra, performing the Brahms Requiem for an audience of 50 at Dove of Peace Lutheran Church, Tucson, on October 20—one of the first in-person choral concerts held in the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

its power to heal and connect, singing right now “has the power to cause harm to people. And so that’s what’s forcing a lot of conversations that need to be had about how we can do the thing that we love right now—in a way that is as healthy and safe and honoring and respectful as possible.”

Who Is Responsible for Making Decisions?

In the months since the COVID-19 pandemic began, researchers have launched a number of studies to learn more about aerosol transmission in performing arts activities. In particular, several choruses are paying attention to recommendations

emerging from an ongoing University of Colorado Boulder/University of Maryland study on reducing the risk of returning to rehearsals and performances. Similar research is under way at Colorado State University. From the vocal music field itself come The COVID-19 Response Committee Report, developed by a team of choral professionals for the ACDA, and a journal article on safe singing during the pandemic commissioned by the Voice Foundation.

Like many other organizations, choruses are also adhering to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and state and local boards of health. [Links to research, guidelines, and additional resources can be found at chorusamerica.org/resource/topresource/choruses-covid-19-coronavirus.]

Some choruses are tapping expertise within their own organizations—such as board members who are also health professionals. The new board chair of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) is a medical doctor, says artistic director Tim Seelig. Like several other choruses, SFGMC created a COVID task force. Its 16 members include several health workers, Seelig says, one of them an epidemiologist.

The group decided, as many choruses have, that SFGMC as a whole will not gather again to sing until there is a proven treatment for COVID-19. In the meantime, the chorus has moved to an all-virtual season, featuring weekly offerings on its new online platform, and small pods have been rehearsing outdoors to prepare for virtual choir productions. Seelig emphasizes that it’s the task force’s responsibility, not his, to determine the protocols the chorus implements for in-person gatherings: “I don’t think it’s any conductor’s prerogative to put singers in danger.”

Naturally, the singers themselves have a say in all of this. The 18 members of the Thrive Choir make decisions collectively.

Growing tired of Zoom, someone began a thread on the popular messaging application WhatsApp that led to their group decision to rehearse outdoors. The St. Charles Singers, a professional group based in suburban Chicago, began talking about an outdoor recording session partly because the musicians were overdue for a paying gig, says executive director Kay Kendall. Several of them became an especially valuable resource in the planning process because they are choral music educators who have been doing their own research on the safety of returning to the classroom. For the singers, “this has taken some courage,” she adds: “the courage to come and sing in the middle of a pandemic.” The chorus released the four videos from its July session on YouTube under the title “Courage to Sing.” Kendall says chorus members could freely choose not to participate, and a few did opt out—as has been the case with several ensembles that have scheduled in-person singing sessions during the pandemic.

The families of singers belong in the discussion too, especially those involved with children and youth choruses. As Tucson Girls Chorus director Marcela Molina points out, “we don’t interact just with the singer; we need to think of the whole ecosystem when we are continuing with programming and answer to them.” u www.chorusamerica.org

11

The Art and Science of Singing Together During the Pandemic Feeling a responsibility “to stay true to our commitment to underserved communities,” even in hard times, Molina says the chorus is holding in-person rehearsals outdoors. She notes that some parents are uncomfortable, even fearful, about sending their children, so the chorus launched “a really cohesive conversation” to address their concerns. Relying on research that included the Colorado/ Maryland study, Molina drafted safety protocols, gathered input from her staff and a medical task force the chorus has assembled, and shared their ideas with families. “I’m very, very communicative about our plans,” she says. “Even when we were not sure what we were doing, we told them.” Molina says 90 to 95 percent of the families participating in rehearsals have “felt safe and felt grateful that their kids were practicing in person.”

What Are the Essential Protocols?

Last March, Tim Seelig put together a rehearsal guide to choral singing during the pandemic. Because so much has been learned since then, he now considers the document “a historical relic.” His protocols called on singers to start by “washing their hands for 20 minutes at a hand-washing station. Then they would get their temperature taken. And then they would go to their seats, distanced, and—I can’t believe

A member of the Tucson Girls Chorus gets ready to sing at a baseball field where the group is holding its rehearsals during the pandemic.

12 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

I said this—take off their masks to sing.”

Now, he says, protocols include a health questionnaire and will call for COVID testing when rapid results are possible.

The current eight-day wait in San Francisco is “not tenable,” he says.

Testing and quarantining are the two safety measures Dr. Fauci emphasized in his conversation with Christopher Eanes, and Eanes had already been planning to practice both of them during his threeday recording session at the Washington National Cathedral. Eanes told Fauci the testing would happen “as close as possible to the first time we all come together” and that the group would self-quarantine “from the time they take the test through the end of the project. This means no going out unless absolutely necessary, no unnecessary travel.” Fauci’s reaction, which Eanes is careful to characterize as his own takeaway, not Fauci’s specific recommendations, went something like this: “He said, ‘Yeah, you get that testing, particularly within 48 hours of your first rehearsal, and you hold people to their quarantining—these people actually have to obey the rules—then you’ve done everything you can to ensure safety. Not a guarantee, nothing’s guaranteed.’” Eanes says that assurance was enough for him to move forward.

This past summer, the National Basketball Association undertook a highly publicized experiment in testing and quarantining: It finished its pandemicinterrupted 2019–20 season in a “bubble.”

From late July until early October, players remained inside a facility at Disney World in Orlando, where they lived, were tested daily, and played their games. To the surprise of many, the experiment was successful.

In Tucson, a professional choral ensemble borrowed the bubble idea in an effort to sing safely together in front of live audiences. True Concord Voices and Orchestra launched a fall season of outdoor, socially distanced concerts on October 20. Leading up to the performances, singers, many of whom are from out of town, spent ten days in individual isolation, which, as operations manager Joshua Keeling notes, is the time period recommended by the World Health Organization. At first no one knew whether enough testing would be available to rely heavily on that protocol, but since then, he says the chorus has been able to

The Thrive Choir’s first music video, “Remember Me,” is a product of the pandemic, recorded during the summer in Oakland’s Joaquin Miller Park.

work out a partnership with a local laboratory. Singers isolated in homes rented through Airbnb and guest houses belonging to chorus supporters. After that Keeling says they began co-housing with others inside the musician bubble—a 28-day period for rehearsals and some recording. True Concord’s protocols also included a daily self-monitoring health check, “a simple email questionnaire that they’ll fill out every day, basically confirming that they don’t have any of the CDC’s list of COVID-19 symptoms,” says Keeling.

Physical distancing figures in every conversation about protocols for safe gathering, but Eanes’s takeaway from his conversation with Dr. Fauci is that “that choosing a safe distance between singers is a shot in the dark.” Many variables come into play, especially air circulation in the surrounding environment. As long as the weather cooperates, outdoor gatherings may be the best choice. True Concord scheduled its seasonopening concert in the courtyard of a Tucson church. The Tucson Girls Chorus rehearses in small groups at a baseball field, with singers separated by eight or more feet. Thanks to a camera, antenna, and wi-fi setup at the field, singers who choose not to be present physically can stream the sessions online. At her top choir’s first outdoor rehearsal, Molina says two families took advantage of that option. For their outdoor rehearsals, members of the Thrive Choir form a wide circle, six feet apart, in Willacy’s backyard. They also shot their debut music

video, “Remember Me,” outdoors in an Oakland park. The singers did not wear masks or use microphones; physically distanced, they sang along with studio-quality audio they’d already recorded in Willacy’s home. In the forest preserve where they recorded, St. Charles Singers music director Jeff Hunt planted survey flags 10 feet apart to mark everyone’s positions. Members of SFGMC have gathered in the National AIDS Memorial Grove to rehearse in pods of 12—three to a part. “No one touched each other,” says Seelig. “And we don’t pass music from one to another.”

For audiences attending its fall concerts, True Concord established several distancing protocols. With the exception of couples, everyone is to be separated from each other by least six feet, and separate entrance and exit points are provided. To avoid physical contact, programs are digital and ticket handling is eliminated. Audience size is limited to 50. Masks are required.

Baltimore Choral Arts decided it needed an indoor setting to record music for a series of video productions called Off the Grid. “We are embarking on new territory for us,” says music director Anthony Blake Clark: documentary-style content combined with musical performances highlighting themes of social justice, inclusion, and response to adversity. The productions will be broadcast on a local TV station and later streamed on several online platforms.

The 15 professional singers and other participants were tested in advance of the

October recording session, which took place at Baltimore’s Parkway Theatre, chosen because its HVAC system boasts hospital-grade air filtering, says Clark.

Protocols included five-minute breaks every 30 minutes to air out the space, a plan similar to the one Eanes implemented for his October session at the Washington National Cathedral. The cathedral’s massive size eased concerns over air circulation, and Eanes notes that only 12 or 15 singers, professionals and volunteers, were on hand for the recording—not the Cathedral Choral Society’s full complement of 120.

Eanes notes that wearing masks was another point of emphasis for Dr. Fauci.

Going into the session, Eanes told singers “it’s possible that we were going to have to record with masks off—obviously, still very socially distanced,” and that’s how it worked out. In the soundcheck, Eanes realized “it was just much easier for them to hear each other, and overall the sound was better.” Because they had no contact with anyone outside their bubble for more than a month, True Concord singers didn’t use masks in their first concert either. But the St. Charles Singers recorded with masks on. In rehearsals, the Thrive Choir uses masks to speak with each other and double masks to sing. Baltimore Choral Arts Society tried something new: the Singer’s Mask, a new product developed by Broadway professionals. “It looks kind of like a platypus bill,” says Clark. “The great thing about these masks is that they have wiring in them, so the cloth is really far away from your mouth, but still creates a seal on your face. You can open your jaw more in the manner that is required for singing.” They feel comfortable and safe, he adds. And the cloth is thick.

Masks—along with distancing—caused some of the bigger worries. When singers’ voices are muffled by masks, Clark notes that “miking so that the audio engineer can get really a very up-close sound is vital.”

The recording demonstrated that “he was able to capture real diction and consonants and the things that maybe sometimes the masks inhibit.” The St. Charles Singers used regular masks, but the close-miking technique worked well for them too, Hunt says, even in an outdoor setting.

The distancing “was probably the toughest thing of the day,” Clark says. It poses challenges for maintaining rhythm, tuning, and more. “Even in a reasonably good room, u www.chorusamerica.org 13

Which of the following is played?

being 10 feet apart from another singer is really difficult.” And outdoors? Hunt says some of his singers, given the challenges of the recording environment, hesitated to commit to a repeat project until they could hear the results of “Courage to Sing.” Finally viewing and hearing the videos “was really affirming for them,” he believes. “They really felt yes, it was worthwhile.”

Is the Risk Worth It? Most North American choruses are holding off on singing together in-person, choosing to exercise an abundance of caution or lacking the ability to conform to health guidelines in their area or reduce risk to an acceptable level. In a recent Chorus America survey nearly 75 percent of responding choruses reported that they are either rehearsing and performing entirely virtually or not rehearsing or performing at all. In Wisconsin, where the late fall and winter weather makes outdoor rehearsals

P h o t o s: © Co u rt n e y Ruc km a n

The Art and Science of Singing Together During the Pandemic

With its December concerts canceled, the Cathedral Choral Society is marking Beethoven’s 250th birthday by releasing a video shot in October in the Washington National Cathedral.

unthinkable, indoor gatherings aren’t feasible either because, at this writing, the pandemic is “out of control,” says Madison Youth Choirs artistic director Michael Ross.

County regulations prohibit meeting in groups larger than 10 indoors, he says. The Durham (NC) Community Chorale made a similar decision because, according to chorale president Donna Crisp, “many of our members and our audience are at higher risk of complications if they contract

COVID-19,” noting the Centers for Disease Control warning that “singers can be superspreaders.” Both choruses tentatively plan to resume regular in-person gatherings in the fall of 2021. By then, according to Eanes, Dr. Fauci is hopeful that a COVID-19 vaccine will be widely available. u

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The Art and Science of Singing Together During the Pandemic None of the choruses involved in this story has reported any cases of COVID-19 resulting from the singing they have done in the same physical space. In dollars and cents terms, however, risk-mitigation efforts like these will be a challenge to sustain. As Clark puts it, in the long haul Baltimore Choral Arts cannot regularly “afford to create an all-day recording centered on safety and protocols,” especially during a time when it’s not selling tickets.

Still, he says, the chorus is already planning another video production for Christmas.

Like other choruses, the St. Charles Singers are using money originally intended for concerts now cancelled to cover extraordinary expenses, and Kendall says they received special grant support for their videos. Presenting its fall season in a bubble could cost True Concord as much as $220,000, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Keeling says the chorus’s development committee has a plan to raise the necessary additional funding, and he’s confident

16 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

about community support. “But yeah,” he says, “it is an expensive project. We’re budgeting it as carefully as we can.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced choruses to focus in a new way on their reason for being. If we can’t sing together, why do we exist? Because the Thrive Choir is part of an Oakland community organization centered on social justice and diversity, Willacy feels he has no choice but to move forward despite the challenges. “We do it because we love each other, we do it because we love the music, and we do it because it’s a way of helping resource us emotionally during these really challenging times,” he says. “It’s important for us to keep convening and keep shaping the world that we believe in into existence.”

The reason to keep moving forward came to Marcela Molina the first time all of her choirs got together for a trial rehearsal.

“It was beautiful to hear their voices one more time,” she says. And for the girls new to the choir who had experienced only Zoom rehearsals up until that point, “it provided goosebumps.”

At this point in the pandemic, most of us can only imagine how it will feel when

choruses are finally together again in a concert setting, singing in person for an audience. In Tucson, the feeling became real on October 20, and it was “magical,” says True Concord’s Joshua Keeling. The Brahms Requiem, with its message of comfort for those who bear sorrow and of honor for the memory of those who have died, was chosen for the occasion. “The sun was starting to sink and there was a little bit of birdsong in the background,” Keeling noticed. With the moving threenote motif Seelig sind, “the choir emerged in perfect blend.” It was a reminder of all we’ve lost to the pandemic, Keeling says, but he “also breathed a sigh of relief that we had done it. Even though it’s much harder to make concerts happen now, it is rewarding to have created an outlet for music again.” n Don Lee is the managing editor of the Voice, as well as a media producer, editor, writer, and amateur choral singer who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. At NPR in Washington DC, he was the executive producer of Performance Today.

Transforming the lives of young people through the power of singing together... one song at a time.

Can Digital Pay Dividends?

Digital Content Revenue Strategies During the Pandemic and Beyond As it became clear the COVID-19 pandemic would wear on for months, many choruses launched digital initiatives to keep their music and their message in front of their audiences. Those with digital strategies already in place have stepped up their efforts. Others are just beginning to navigate this new frontier. All of them are learning valuable lessons about what digital content their audiences want and are willing to pay for.

B Y K A T H E RI N E C A S T ILL E

“W

hat we’re doing with online content—I think it’s really a lifeline,” says Christine Gevert. As founding artistic director of the Connecticut-based ensemble Crescendo, Gevert is one of many choral leaders grappling with how to create meaningful art and generate revenue in a world where singing carries new risks. “We’ve suddenly taken on a much bigger workload,” producing two to six new audio recordings each week. On days when they’re posted on SoundCloud, she says “I go to bed at 3:00 a.m.” But every week she receives glowing emails about Crescendo’s recordings and thinks, “‘OK, let’s keep going.’”

Though many organizations have been distributing online content for years, the pandemic has heightened the importance 18 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

of digital revenue strategies, providing the choral community with a new imperative for creativity. Some organizations are selling individual tickets and subscriptions to specific online events, while others are shifting to a monthly membership fee that includes access to events plus additional content to connect audiences and creators.

To maximize access, some groups are providing free content, and others are offering tiered price points or pay-what-you-can pricing. “We’ve been changing our schedule and plans constantly,” says Alexander Blake, founder and artistic director of Tonality in Los Angeles. As the ensemble explores new ways to serve its audience, Blake has realized that the current situation is an exciting opportunity “to find and keep community connection by opening up the inner workings of what we do, which of course is very different right now.”

Learning While Doing Organizations that are unfamiliar with digital content creation face a steep learning curve—starting with the technical demands. With the bottom line in mind, many choruses take the DIY approach.

Gevert, a graphic designer hobbyist, found resources online and is training singers to use the collaborative virtual studio app Soundtrap to help produce Crescendo’s weekly recordings. Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, VOX Femina, and Tonality all utilized production talent within their ranks for video, audio, and film production, respectively. Two of Cantus’s singers have shouldered nearly all of its audio and visual production needs as the ensemble releases via Facebook and YouTube its COVID-19 Sessions, most of which were recorded while the eight-man group quarantined together in Iowa at what they have affectionately dubbed Camp Cantus. Another Cantus singer has tracked down rights so that music can be digitally distributed legally. Co-artistic director and tenor Paul Scholtz describes the working atmosphere of the Minneapolisbased ensemble as “a can-do attitude from everyone and an entrepreneurial spirit.”

Though using internal talent reduces expenses, it doesn’t work for every project.

To anchor its season, comprising three online events, VOX Femina’s artistic director, Iris Levine, reimagined a performance she’d been working on for over a year.

At the beginning of November, she and the ensemble premiered composer Andrea Ramsey’s five-movement Suffrage Cantata

© Ja ke Ch ri sto ph er

Members of Cantus, recording the initial tracks for their video release COVID-19 Sessions at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, early in the pandemic

via subscription on YouTube as a 45-minute film. Rebecca Wink, the L.A.-based chorus’s executive director, says the requirements to meet COVID regulations for its live recordings, such as COVID training and acrylic shields for each participating artist, as well as hiring a third party for production, “added an enormous amount of expense” beyond a typical concert. In part due to the expense, the ambitious film project may not be replicable, so the group is planning different content for its two subsequent events. For other ensembles, a combination of in-house and third-party production is the best balance between quality and expense.

In addition to budget adjustments to accommodate production expenses, Wink and Levine have found that timelines must be much earlier for the necessary pre- and post-production. For the November 1 film premiere, VOX moved up its schedule by two full months. Not only does it take more time than you think, “post-production is exhausting,” says Matthew Guard, artistic director of Skylark in Boston. “There’s so much time that’s not actually music making.

It can feel like an assembly line.” Groups of Skylark members are quarantining together to record a whopping 37 digital programs that are based on their artistic interests and will be released throughout the season on a members-only section of Skylark’s website.

Organizations must also determine new revenue models based on limited experience.

VOX’s ticket prices are usually $32–40. For its three online concerts this season, staff decided on pay-what-you-can pricing, with a $10 suggested donation. VIP tickets for $20 give access to post-show conversations and more. Wink admits the pricing was based on educated guessing. “We didn’t have precedent for this. People aren’t used to paying for digital programming, so we decided to go lower and hope for a much broader reach.” They set revenue goals based on typical live concert numbers, the lower ticket price, and larger potential audience. So far, most sales have been for VIP tickets, and most pay-what-you-can tickets are going for at least the suggested amount.

After focus group feedback revealed people wanted to pay less than $20 for digital content, Skylark priced its membership fees at $18 a month, with a $9-a-month option for students and others with limited income.

Do Audiences Value Digital Content?

Audiences must also learn new ways to engage with the art, and many arts fans are reluctant students. A study conducted by the research firm YouGov for the streaming

service Primephonic found that 70 percent of American classical music fans surveyed had not watched a live-streamed event during the pandemic. Two-thirds of that majority said they are either unfamiliar with the concept of live-streamed events or don’t understand how it works. “The data is telling us there’s a generational gap in comfort levels navigating to live streams, with older patrons sometimes feeling less comfortable,” says Alan Brown, principal of the research and consulting firm WolfBrown.

“Arts groups will need to simplify the process as much as possible.”

The Primephonic study also found that only half of those surveyed indicated willingness to pay for live-streamed events. The top two reasons for this attitude are the lack of live performance atmosphere and poor audio quality. Brown offers this advice: “It will be essential for arts groups—especially orchestras and choruses—to coach people on getting the most out of their at-home listening experiences. Helping them connect a new Bluetooth speaker to their computer or smart phone could make a big difference in the quality of their at-home listening experience.” Experienced professionals also note that shorter is better when it comes to digital programs. Los Angeles-based events producer Allison Pieter told the trade publication BizBash she recommends “no u www.chorusamerica.org

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An image from Tonality’s recent video recording of The New Collective Consciousness: “We Know” (Movement 1), a setting by Joseph Trapanese of a text concerning an Icelandic glacier that has completely melted. The initial release of Tonality videos is an exclusive for the group’s financial supporters.

Can Digital Pay Dividends? more than half the time frame of your in-person gathering.”

An ongoing study conducted by WolfBrown paints a rosier picture for digital experiences. While the survey of more than 250,000 arts attendees reveals that “25–30 percent are just opposed to the idea of digital experiences,” according to Brown, “a large percentage of audience members accept that digital content will be their only interaction with arts programming for quite some time” and are satisfied with digital content until live performances resume.

Digital Advantages and Strategies Most organizations have opted to keep ticket prices low for digital experiences, both to acknowledge they are different from live events and to make their art more accessible. Instead of goals based on capacity and revenue, choirs are casting the net wide, shifting focus to access and awareness. This long-term strategy involves developing relationships now that result in earned and contributed revenue later.

“This virtual environment presents challenges, but also some exciting opportunities,” says Crescendo’s Gevert. Because digital experiences can be streamed to thousands of viewers at the same time and are available for extended periods, they give choruses the ability to reach anyone with an internet connection, anywhere in the world. According to executive director Joseph Heitz, Cantus usually earns twothirds of its annual revenue from a vigorous local and national touring schedule.

20 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

To make its three online concerts for fall 2020 more accessible, including a livestreamed, audience-free concert in November, the group established a suggested price of $20 per household per concert, which Heitz feels is a good compromise between offering content for free and the $20–30 price points other organizations are offering. For its October digital concert, the ensemble reported 35 percent of ticket buyers were outside Minnesota.

Additionally, 20 percent of purchases came from people who had never purchased a ticket before. An even bigger access coup is Cantus’s free, wildly successful COVID-19 Sessions, which the group began recording at the onset of the pandemic. At 1.7 million views to date, “it’s exceeded our expectations,” says Heitz. This hyper-accessible content builds audience, providing strong leads for future purchases and donations.

Other choruses have also used digital initiatives to increase their reach. Guard estimates that 15–20 percent of Skylark’s memberships are from outside the Boston area, and VOX’s Wink reports 47 percent of ticket buyers being new to VOX, and 33 percent are outside of California.

“We’re getting new people from all over the country.”

Blake thought about what people can get digitally that they can’t get at a live event, landing on process and letting the audience get to know the singers. Using Patreon, an online hub for paid access to content, Tonality is delivering exclusive music-video style content to patrons who subscribe for a monthly membership fee ranging from $5 to $10. Monthly subscribers are also offered a series of interactive Tonality Talks with composers, artists, and leaders from partner organizations to deepen emotional connection with the

group. Subscribers get to be part of Zoom conversations and see the ensemble’s videos before they are released to broader audiences via Facebook. Based on subscriber feedback so far, Blake says it’s working, and as content rolls out to the public this fall, he believes people will be pleasantly surprised by the new approach.

Blake also believes that programming relevant art has become even more central to Tonality’s mission to promote peace and understanding through choral music performance and that investing in that mission now will pay off later. The group’s videos connect people to relevant topics like the election, social justice, and climate change, which Blake says has “resonated with people. And now they are connected to Tonality for the future as we reimagine content.” Mendelssohn Chorus is hosting community chats to connect with community members, including equity, diversity, and inclusion conversations. Gardner says, “We wouldn’t have had the space for that before. What happened with George Floyd has sparked a global reckoning, making it essential for these conversations to happen.” Thinking about “how we can meet this moment,” Cantus created a platform for Black artists to bring their lived experiences and artistic visions to audiences with its online series Championing Black Voices. “Folks need the power of artmaking right now, and music can build bridges,” Scholtz says. “The causes don’t go away after the concert is over,” adds Blake. “If your choir is about all the things that choirs can be— connectedness, community, engagement—that is what will help people succeed in this time.”

Organizations can build a revenue strategy on connectedness established through delivering meaningful content, says Erik Gensler, founder of the digital arts marketing firm Capacity Interactive. In a recent webinar, he offered this advice: Build long-term loyalty by giving people content they love 70 percent of the time, and earn the right to ask for a purchase or donation 30 percent of the time.

Digital Fundraising One bright spot in Primephonic’s study is that 60 percent of respondents indicated willingness to donate to arts organizations. This is good news in light of the gap between earned revenue from digital options and typical live event revenue. Mendelssohn Chorus surveyed past ticket buyers about content and pricing based on what other organizations were doing, deciding to sell individual tickets for $6–12 u

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Can Digital Pay Dividends? and subscriptions for $20–50. For its 2020– 21 virtual season, it is producing five curated conversations and four virtual community sing events. “In any given year, our earned revenue makes up about 25 percent of our income,” says Gardner. “This year it is 8 percent.” The ensemble plans to focus more on donations this season to help alleviate the projected gap. Heitz says Cantus’s model “capitalizes on people wanting to help. We’re leaning in to contributed revenue by restating the value that Cantus brings to our community.” Crescendo is planning two donation appeals to fund production and weekly distribution of new recordings as well as two virtual concerts and five live-streamed or pre-recorded conversations this season—all available free of charge to the public.

Several groups reported successful digital fundraising efforts on the front end of the lockdown. Using Facebook, Tonality raked in 113 percent of its goal in a two-week campaign. Capitalizing on the familiar American Idol format, Cantus reimagined its previous, live “Cantus Idol” fundraiser as

a series of short online events released on its website, Facebook, and YouTube.

Viewers could choose which finalist videos to watch over four rounds of competition spread over three weeks. That flexibility and spreading out the content over a longer period of time were both big positives, making the content easily accessible and building buzz leading up to the finale. The result was a record-breaking celebration of the group’s 25th anniversary.

The digital revenue picture will become clearer as choruses mount this season’s first fundraising campaigns. Results of Crescendo’s first appeal will be in by the ensemble’s December online event, but until then, Gevert says it’s challenging to forecast contributed revenue for the season.

Wink feels confident that VOX’s small-yetmighty family of supporters will see them through this season, but wonders, “how long people are going to be willing to support this digital version of what we do.”

Is live-streaming the answer? Do highly produced music videos or mini-documentaries hold more promise for the bottom line? Or will an intriguing new approach emerge? Brown envisions “an international

consortium of choruses to collaborate on a season calendar” of digital programs for a monthly or seasonal fee, and participating organizations could share the revenue. How will choruses’ digital strategy evolve once the pandemic is over? Is there a hybrid live/ digital revenue model that will take earned revenue to new heights by reanimating the live performance experience and expand reach through digital presentations? The artistic exploration has just begun.

“I kept seeking the ‘right’ answer, but nobody knows.” Heitz says. “This moment calls for a lot of experimentation.” Many organizations emphasize the importance of trying new things, gathering feedback, and adjusting plans accordingly. Blake says, “We’ve shifted how we do what we do, but what we do hasn’t shifted. Why do you exist? Let that answer lead, and it opens up so many doors.” n Katherine Castille is an arts professional with 20 years of marketing, communications, and fundraising experience. She believes that working in the arts means being an educator, advocate, and storyteller. Katherine is a soprano soloist in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and a member of the National Lutheran Choir.

NEW from Delos and Taylor Festival Choir

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–Music Web International (UK)

–Audio Society of Atlanta

22 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

“Charleston’s very own world-class choir...”

–Charleston City Paper

EVENTS 2021 Choir Competitions and Festivals

03 03 03 04

15TH INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION & FESTIVAL BAD ISCHL March 4-8, 2021 | Bad Ischl, Austria ON STAGE IN ISRAEL March 10-14, 2021 | Tel Aviv, Israel ON STAGE IN VERONA March 25-28, 2021 | Verona, Italy VOICES & WINE ALBA April 7-11, 2021 | Alba, Italy (Piedmont)

04

VOX LUCENSIS – CONCORSO CORALE INTERNAZIONALE April 7-11, 2021 | Lucca, Italy

04

7TH VIETNAM INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION April 8-12, 2021 | Hoi An, Vietnam

05

RIGA SINGS – INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION & IMANTS KOKARS CHORAL AWARD May 1-5, 2021 | Riga, Latvia

05 05 06

ON STAGE IN FLORENCE May 20-23, 2021 | Florence, Italy SOUND WAVES LINZ May 20-24, 2021 | Linz, Austria ON STAGE IN ALBANIA June 9-13, 2021 | Tirana, Albania

07

11TH WORLD CHOIR GAMES

07

6TH INTERNATIONAL CONDUCTOR‘S SEMINAR WERNIGERODE July 17-20, 2021 | Wernigerode, Germany

07

12TH INTERNATIONAL JOHANNES BRAHMS CHOIR FESTIVAL & COMPETITION July 21-25, 2021 | Wernigerode, Germany

08 09 09

July 2-12, 2021 | Flanders, Belgium

SING ALONG CONCERT “ON TOUR” MILAN August 26-30, 2021 | Milan, Italy ON STAGE IN LISBON September 10-13, 2021 | Lisbon, Portugal 4TH VOICES FOR PEACE September 26-30, 2021 | Perugia/Assisi, Italy

10

4TH KALAMATA INTERNATIONAL CHOIR COMPETITION & FESTIVAL October 7-11, 2021 | Kalamata, Greece

10

10TH CANTA AL MAR – FESTIVAL CORAL INTERNACIONAL October 21-25, 2021 | Calella/Barcelona, Spain

11 11 11

ON STAGE IN PRAGUE November 4-7, 2021 | Prague, Czech Republic DEUTSCHE CHORMEISTERSCHAFT 2021 November 5-7, 2021 | Koblenz, Germany VOICES & WINE MÁLAGA November 17-21, 2021 | Málaga, Spain (Andalusia)

Get more information now: interkultur.com © Studi43, © Adobe Stock

Maintaining Your Momentum During a Long-Term Crisis Now, more than eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the end is still not in sight. Choral music organizations need to take the time to reassess their priorities and prepare themselves to weather the rest of this long-term crisis in order to position themselves to re-emerge stronger on the other side. In the view of three experienced proponents of readiness planning, maintaining your organizational momentum should be the top priority. That includes preparing for crises beyond COVID. B Y J A N E T N E W C O M B , M O LLI E Q UI N L A N - H A Y E S , A N D T H O M A S F. R . C L A R E S O N

I

n the months since the pandemic changed everyone’s lives, you may have wished more than once that you’d had a plan in place that lays out exactly what you need to do in order to get through those chaotic first days of a crisis, safeguard the momentum your chorus will need to ensure its longerterm health, and lay the groundwork for a return to business as usual. The good news is that it’s not too late—planning is as essential to managing an ongoing crisis as it is to preparing for a future one.

In fact, now is an excellent time for arts organizations to begin what we in the field call all-hazards readiness planning to include continuity of operations protocols, procedures, and action steps. A readiness plan is a combination of documents, policies, processes, and training that formulates what your organization, leadership, and staff will do should the unexpected occur.

It’s an organizational muscle that you train 24 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

and strengthen over time…and it will always be a work in progress!

Developing guideposts specific to your organization that incorporate all areas of your activities—governance, staffing, programming, operations, communications and fundraising/development—will not only define your roadmap and benchmark your progress, the process will strengthen your mission and garner support from stakeholders. Now is the time to focus on your opportunities, break old habits and ways, and be nimble and inclusive of all stakeholders and your community.

What to Do Immediately Remember that there are many things that you can be doing now, even while socially distant from your fellow performers, administrators and board members, and audience. And many of them can be done for little or no cost other than the time and thoughts of those involved.

There’s a good chance you’ve already completed several of these steps, so consider this a checklist to affirm the progress you’ve made thus far in the pandemic: • Create response and recovery teams of staff, board, and volunteers to formulate a plan to reopen.

• Create/update your onsite emergency plan. If you don’t have a plan, there are many resources available. The free, downloadable ArtsReady 2.0 Pocket Response Resource, which key personnel can keep in their pocket or digital devices, guides you to customize this tool, which records how to respond in the first minutes and hours after an emergency.

• Use social media and other means to communicate with staff and volunteers on a regular basis to keep everyone informed as to what is being planned in preparation for reopening.

• Make it a priority to communicate your understanding and support for staff, volunteers, and artists regarding their health and the health of their families, as well as their concerns for re-engaging in performing.

• Communicate with sponsors, funders, and donors to explain your situation and reopening plans. It’s imperative for maintaining and building continued support from your community at large.

Remember that hope is not a strategy.

However, readiness planning is. And it’s never too late to start.

Making Tough Choices and Taking Calculated Risks As you move from short-term tactics to short-term strategies, consider the choices you must make. Maintaining and building organizational momentum during a crisis requires creative leadership, a tolerance for risk-taking, and a complete understanding

of your organization’s financial elasticity.

In order to do that, you need to create a monthly projection of revenue and expense through the end of your 2022 fiscal year (taking into consideration the dramatic reduction of earned income, renegotiated project funds, change or reduction of programmatic expenses, etc.). This will give you a timeline on how long your organization can continue without making dramatic changes. Next, you need to recalculate those projections after determining what significant expense items, such as staff salaries, can be reduced or eliminated. This will give you a new timeline to begin planning for new programming or interaction with your audiences. Ideally, you will include as many stakeholders as possible in the decisionmaking for these action steps.

The degree of collaboration within an arts organization during a crisis has a huge impact on its future health. At moments like this one, it is key for arts leaders to encourage the breakdown of internal silos while building cross-functional responsibilities among staff, board, and other stakeholders. Those leaders will find the secret to ensuring the future of their respective organizations. Building momentum through collaborative thinking may seem uncomfortable or awkward because it encourages and embraces different and often opposite viewpoints from a more diverse group, but it’s imperative to finding creative and innovative solutions for operating in the “new normal.” In very uncertain economic times, a new approach to programming may require reallocation of funds or retraining of staff, but remember: It is almost always riskier for the organization to avoid taking these bold moves.

If your organization is forced to reduce staff, with their key responsibilities falling onto already taxed employees, or even if you are able to retain all members of your team, consider collapsing existing job descriptions. Your colleagues are bound to have talents and skills that have never been tapped on behalf of your organization.

Create a safe space to allow each individual to surface their interests and capacities and consider new, cross-disciplinary or crossdepartmental job scopes. Encourage agility so that staff feel allowed to flex their responsibilities as the organization’s needs change. Explore ways to reduce hierarchy and traditional power structures and increase distributed leadership.

Online Resources for Arts Organizations Facing a Long-Term Crisis

F

or additional guidance to help your chorus respond strategically to a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors of this article recommend the following resources: ArtsReady 2.0 Pocket Response Resource (a downloadable tool to guide initial response to emergencies): https://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/ dplan-the-online-disaster-planning-tool Guiding Board Members and Continuing Your Mission During COVID and Beyond (video): https://arts.ny.gov/resources/ NYSCA-PRESENTS COVID-19 and Nonprofits: Start with These Self-Assessment Steps (a guide from the Nonprofit Finance Fund): https://nff.org/blog/covid-19-and-npo-startwith-these-assessment-steps StrongNonprofits Toolkit (a resource to strengthen nonprofit financial management from the Wallace Foundation): https://www. wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/ resources-for-financial-management/pages/ default.aspx

Considerations for the Board If you are a trustee or supporter, you must work as tirelessly, if not more so, than you would during a regular choral season. This is a time when you should not drift away from the organizations you have supported for many years. There are a number of ways that you can continue to be a booster and a positive force for the ensembles.

Recognize that staff leadership and board members are now being asked to make difficult choices they may not be used to making. The New York State Council on the Arts has developed the web video Guiding Board Members and Continuing Your Mission During COVID and Beyond to help you structure productive board conversations (refer to the sidebar above for links to all resources).

This disruption certainly has different effects on your operational, governance, and performance activities, depending on your size, location, and whether you are part of a volunteer-run, staffed, children’s, adult, community, academic, religious, or professional chorus. First, working from a

Arts and Cultural Organizations: In It for the Long Haul (a report from SMU DataArts estimating the pandemic’s effect on the nonprofit arts sector): https://culturaldata.org/ pages/long-haul/ Tough Times Call for Tough Action: A Decision Framework for Nonprofit Leaders and Boards (a report from the nonprofit consulting firm SeaChange summarizing its advice on risk management, lending, financial analysis, mergers/collaborations, and restructuring/dissolution): https://seachangecap.org/ tough-times-call-for-tough-action-a-decisionframework-for-nonprofit-leaders-and-boards/ Merger and Alliance Toolkit (a guide from La Piana Consulting): https://www.lapiana.org/ wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Merger-andAlliance-Toolkit-Final.pdf National VLA Directory (a listing from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of free and low-cost legal services and educational programs addressing the needs of artists and cultural organizations): https://vlaa.org/get-help/ other-vlas/

position of knowledge gives you greater power. Understanding your cash flow and projecting it frequently is an important survival technique, and there are resources available, including self-assessment steps from the Nonprofit Finance Fund and the Wallace Foundation and Fiscal Management Associates. As you consider, also, the longer view, the leading national arts service organization SMU DataArts can help your organization plan for your post-COVID-19 future. Its report In It for the Long Haul offers “three propositions that any organization can develop and align in order to achieve success: its value proposition, revenue proposition, and people proposition. These steps have the potential to differentiate the organizations that not only weather the crisis but grow through it.”

They recommend each organization consider four questions that can offer a productive process for staff and board members to suss out their highest priorities: 1) What might the next year look like?

2) What do we do that is most meaningful and relevant to the community? u

www.chorusamerica.org 25

Maintaining Your Momentum During a Long-Term Crisis

Considerations for Artists and Performers

3) How will we manage our people and revenue propositions to confront the new reality?

4) When our doors reopen, whom will we gather?

If you have concerns about future funding or attrition of singers/performers, it may be prudent to consider your existential options, again to maintain as much control of your destiny as you can. Playing out these as scenarios is a valuable exercise and can often reduce the level of anxiety or fear by simply talking about the range of possibilities out loud. These may include: • Shared services/back-end collaborations (printing, performance spaces, IT, audio/ video engineering, joint administration) with other arts or non-arts community groups • Strategic alliances (e.g., shared marketing or development/fundraising efforts), another option you can explore with other art or non-arts community groups • Radical restructuring, including HR, leaving rented space, consolidating departments • Financing, including asking donors and board members to ease restrictions on grants or funds, soliciting contributions for your re-start plan, or looking into bridge loans or lines of credit • Suspension/hibernation/hiatus (allowing you to maintain your artistic and financial assets while taking a pause on programming) • Mergers between two or more choral organizations that could help address some of the issues above • An organizational exit strategy such as dissolution (a painful, but important step in situations where a worst-case scenario appears likely).

You may have fellow board members with experience in partnerships, employment law, contract negotiations, and financial instruments. Since your organization should not embark upon significant new directions without professional consultation, you may want to recruit new board members with expertise. Alternately, many communities and states have Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts chapters or arts and business committees that can offer pro bono or low-cost services.

If you are a singer, conductor, music director, or accompanist in a choral music organization, you are most likely eager to get back into the classroom, rehearsal, and on stage, while at the same time feeling apprehensive about how to protect yourself, your colleagues, and your audiences. As you will see elsewhere in this issue [see p. 11], a growing body of research on aerosol transmission is becoming available and can guide you.

How do all the new scientific data and anecdotal information affect, or even help, your organization’s plan for reopening and performing? No matter your budget size, whether or not you have paid staff, or whether your season is long or short, you must consider these findings and adapt the information to your organization’s specific needs. Plan now by anticipating obstacles and setbacks along the way and in the future. Think about the facilities and plans for your rehearsals and performances and how they rate in comparison to the new research findings.

26 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

Developing Your Longer-Term Plans Once you’re confident about your organization’s momentum, use what you’re learning to establish an all-hazards readiness plan. How would a preparedness plan have helped you if you’d had one earlier in the pandemic? Rather than trying to anticipate all possible crises (including a global pandemic), determine your backup plans, policies, and procedures for restarting all critical business functions, no matter the cause for their interruption. Then review the lessons you have learned since the start of the pandemic (or really the knowledge gained from any past disasters) and update your planning and training protocols.

Planning is a never-ending process!

As the pandemic took hold, were you prepared for these challenges?

• Knowing how to close down your organization. An emergency plan would have identified the priority tasks and follow-up procedures to be performed by all staff/volunteers prior to, during, and after a closure.

• Understanding the financial and other ramifications of cancelling or postponing events and performances.

An emergency plan would have developed crisis communications messaging for all stakeholders’ needs. Reserve funds would have been identified to support critical operations during closure. Staff would know how to work from home and whether they would continue to be paid.

• Identifying how to maintain essential activities with minimal resources and developing intensive efforts to provide alternative or additional services through digital platforms. An emergency plan would have considered these possibilities and identified a Plan B and a Plan C to mitigate the damage.

Additional Key Activities One of the most important things we’re learning is that the COVID-19 pandemic presents unexpected opportunities. As the initial shock has worn off, you may have found yourself with the time and incentive to step back. Consider using this time to reinforce what your chorus means to its community and to reexamine your internal operations. Last spring, as we first began to experience the pandemic, Tom Clareson and Mollie Quinlan-Hayes addressed this topic in a webinar presented by Chorus America and several allied organizations. These key points still hold true nearly six months later.

We must be effective as communicators when we speak or write about the status of our choral organizations, as the singers always are when they perform. With information on upcoming plans for your organization and other updates—including human interest stories on how performers in your organization are continuing to practice and hone their skills—try to maintain a social media presence. If you don’t use social media regularly, consider sending handwritten postcards and letters to key supporters and longtime patrons. This activity will also allow you to update your patron lists, public relations contact lists, and marketing materials.

Let your audience know your plans as far ahead as you have made them. Are you planning for performances in the latter half of 2021? Can you provide “hold the date” information? Can you give them music now—archived or brand-new audio and visual performances that you can share virtually during the holiday season and in the new year?

While digital presentation strategies (see related story on pp. 18–24) might not seem like a natural extension of your work and the resources available immediately at hand, look to board members, volunteers, music departments at local schools, colleges, and universities, or even public-access or educational television stations for help. Many arts organizations are forging alliances with these allies, often at very low costs, to get their performances out to the public during this situation which does not allow live concerts.

Many organizations—from performing arts to libraries and museums—are taking this time to update key policies. These can include not only all-hazards readiness plans, but also key infrastructure documents such as financial plans, performance contracts, and rehearsal and performance site agreements. Some organizations are also taking time to update their strategic plans so they can have a new plan of action with which to start 2021. And insurers are working with all types and sizes of organizations to review policies, coverage, and liabilities.

Perhaps most important of all, we must consider that the COVID-19 pandemic is intertwined with other major crises: the

economic recession, tension over social and racial justice, and more. This moment provides both opportunity and responsibility to consider how your organization and its actions can be rebuilt to break down unhealthy systems of power and work for greater equity.

As the pandemic continues, our choral organizations may not be singing together in the ways that we’re used to, but as you can see, there are many things we can be doing in the background (and socially distanced) to help our ensembles hit the high notes when conditions allow us to gather again. n Prior to becoming executive director of National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency Response and the performing arts coordinator for the Performing Arts Readiness Project, Janet Newcomb led eight arts organizations, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, four arts councils, and a community arts center. She holds a BA in music from Hood College and an MA in dance from the George Washington University.

Mollie Quinlan-Hayes is a freelance arts consultant specializing in state and regional arts organizations, strategic planning and evaluation, program and grant design and implementation, and readiness. She directs South Arts’ national initiative ArtsReady, has co-chaired the steering committee of the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response, and has served as a speaker and panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous national, state, and local arts organizations.

Tom Clareson is project director of Performing Arts Readiness, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help performing arts organizations protect their assets, sustain operations, and prepare for emergencies. As senior consultant for digital and preservation services at LYRASIS, he consults internationally on preservation, disaster preparedness, digitization, funding, strategic planning, and arts/cultural advocacy. He is board secretary of LancasterChorale (Ohio), a national board of advisors member of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, Ohio Wesleyan University, and vice president of the board of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.

GRADUATE CONDUCTING PROGRAM Bard Conservatory of Music

All students receive ample podium time working with community, collegiate, and professional ensembles including: Bard Conservatory Orchestra Bard College Community Orchestra Bard Chamber Singers

information

Bard Conductor’s Chorale Bard Symphonic Chorus Conductor’s Ensemble

845-752-2409 bard.edu/conservatory conservatoryadmission@bard.edu

co-directors

James Bagwell and Leon Botstein

www.chorusamerica.org 27

ACDA 2021 March 17-20

V I RT U A L C O N F E R E N C E Keynote Speakers: Anton Armstrong, Francisco Núñez, Alice Parker, and Eric Whitacre Invited international choirs: King's Singers from the UK • Formosa Singers from Taiwan • Coro Entrevoces from Cuba Special "Welcome to Dallas" and GALA Choirs concert performances Raymond Brock Commission: "Songs my heart taught me"

by Bob Chilcott and performed by the BBC Singers 42 Interest Sessions 37 Performances by children, junior/senior high, college/university, community, and church choirs R&R area and publisher reading sessions Introducing the National Student Leadership Academy for students grades 8-12

www.acda.org

C h o r u s

A m e r i ca

2020 Honor Roll of Contributors We are pleased to present the 2020 Honor Roll of Contributors.

Gifts to Chorus America provide essential support for our programs which benefit choruses everywhere. Generous individuals, organizations, businesses, foundations, and the U.S. government help ensure excellence in all that we do.

Chorus America recognizes with appreciation all those who contributed to support our activities between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020.

Chair’s Circle Millennium

($50,000 and higher)

National Endowment for the Arts Popplestone Foundation

Chair’s Circle Diamond

($10,000–$49,999)

Charles Berardesco and Jeffrey Thurston The D.J. McManus Foundation Joy and Chester Douglass George Frederick Jewett Foundation East Elfrieda and Vern Heinrichs John C. Griswold Family Foundation Anne B. Keiser Mary and Phillip Lyons Kay and Mike McCarthy Gayle and Tim Ober

Chair’s Circle Platinum ($5,000–$9,999)

The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Jamie and Jeff Barnett The Colburn Foundation Rollo Dilworth Todd H. Estabrook Corty Fengler Lori and John Loftus Catherine Peterson Dianne Peterson

Chair’s Circle Gold ($2,500–$4,999)

Berkshire Choral International Catherine Dehoney and William Hill

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Mary Doughty Mauch ECS Publishing Robert Istad The May Festival Chorus Steven Neiffer Brian Newhouse John Nuechterlein Leonard Ratzlaff Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon

Chair’s Circle Silver ($2,000–$2,499)

The Choral Arts Society of Washington John Earls David M. Hayes Duain Wolfe

Chair’s Circle Bronze ($1,000–$1,999)

ACFEA Tour Consultants Anton Armstrong Mary Ann Aufderheide Ann Meier Baker and Robert Baker Maggie Brooks Carolyn and Philip Brunelle Marie L. Bucoy-Calavan Dashon Burton Roland M. Carter Cathedral Choral Society Amanda and Shawn Crouch Iris Derke Morna Edmundson Floyd Farmer Dr. Miguel Ángel Felipe and Mr. Aaron A. Gould

Craig Jessop Brenda E. Kee and Wayne S. Brown Robyn and Tim Lana Mark Lawson Manhattan Concert Productions Allison McMillan David Morrow Linda Moxley MUSICFOLDER.com Frank Nemhauser Elizabeth and Francisco Núñez Deborah and Jamshed Patel Molly Buzick Pontin Thomas Pridonoff Earl Rivers Matthew Robertson Eugene Rogers Peter Rutenberg Diana Sáez San Francisco Girls Chorus Mark Shapiro Charlotte Sibley Marianna and Robert Simpson Frank Stubbs and Tom Lee John Sutton Karen P. Thomas Anthony Trecek-King The Washington Chorus

Benefactors ($500–$999)

Kristin Abbott John Alexander Bruce Becker Marina Belica Paul Boykas Andrea Burgoyne Fran Collmann Matthew R. Culloton Ellie and Tom Elkinton Brooks Firestone Catherine French Joyce Garrett Grant Gershon Janice Goertz Alan Harler Anne Heider Arthur W. Kaemmer, M.D. Terry Knowles and Marshall Rutter Marcela Molina C. William Moody+ New York Choral Consortium October Project Douglas Platt Marilyn Pryor John Quillin Patricia Read Jenna Robinson Jon Saxton

Peter Smith Steven Smith Ruth and Dale Warland Arlene Williams Yale Institute of Sacred Music

Pacesetters ($250–$499)

Susan Astington Alexis Barron Mimi Bornstein Judy A. Britts Michael Bronson Jonathan Busarow Ron Cheung Chorus Connection Janet Coe Richard Coffey Jennifer Collins Thomas Cooke Tad Czyzewski Doralene Davis Mary Deissler Dominick DiOrio III Susan G. Duncan BJ Entwisle Vance George Matthew Greenberg Harmony Helper Ryan Heller Megan Higle Kathleen Holt Yiting Jin Key Chorale Anita Kupriss Robert Kyr Mary and Bill Langsdorf Leanne Latuda Kathleen Lee Dr. Iris S. Levine and Lesili Beard Jacob Levine Hugh McDevitt Tina Meckel The Michael O’Neal Singers Alfred P. Moore Musicalion KellyAnn Nelson and Christopher Eanes Gary Pai Robin L. Perry Robert Provencio Ragazzi Boys Chorus, Silicon Valley Andrea Ramsey Meredith Riekse Mike Rowan Phillip Shoultz SingersBabel LLC Katie Skovholt u

www.chorusamerica.org 29

2020 Honor Roll of Contributors John Slawson Jan Smith David Snead Jan G. Strand Barbara M. Tagg Danielle Talamantes and Kerry Wilkerson Brooke Bandfield Taylor Jon Washburn Amy Weller

Sustainers ($100–$249)

Old McHandel

& His Musical Farm

by John Nothaft, MM

Baroque for young folk

In this delightful book, we join McHandel on his farm as he completes his chores and his finest choral masterpiece.

Order from Amazon, Etsy or email jpnothaft@gmail.com

Rae Ann Anderson Atlassian Matthew Austerklein Dodie and Wayne Bauman Tracy Baynard Stephen Marc Beaudoin Nicole Belmont Christina Benson Liza W. Beth and Franco OrdoĂąez Hal Black Liam Bonner Elise Bradley Ryan Brandau Andrew Brown Martha Brown Pamela Bruchwalski Paul Caldwell Joan and Mark Colonico Charles Cerf Carol A. Cohen Benjamin Coleman J. Don Coleman Linda Coleman Craig Coogan Megan and Robert Cooper Emily Crocker Hugh Davies Jean Dowdall Kristen L. Fallon Kathleen Fargnoli Mary Ellen and Peter Fellegy Sue Fink

Lorna Fitzgerald Janice Folsom Mary Forde Sheridan Foster Steven Fox Allison Fromm Justin Fyala and Rich Fowler Robert Geary Robin Godfrey Brian Gorelick Lisa Graham Peter Gray April Green Dr. Louise H. Greenberg Barbara Greene Joanna Grossman Maria Guinand John Haberlen Matthew Harden Annie Hargraves Greg Hobbs David Hodgkins Terri Homer Don Horisberger Kristine Howell Bruce Jackson David W. Johnson David Jones Michael Judd Thea Kano Karen Keating Arthur Kerr Wes Kim Juliana Koo Josh Krugman Susan Lambert Kathleen Leones Christine Letts Thomas Lloyd Cheryl Lower Ryan Luhrs Carol Manifold Nancy Maret Jameson Marvin Master Chorale of Flagstaff Barbara McFarquhar Daniel McKeever

Susan McMane Mitch Menchaca David Morales Kara Morrissey Mark W. Ohnmacht Richard A. Pace Evan Padgitt Alice Parker Bob Peskin Vince Peterson Vanessa Pinto Paul Rabin George Reiss Raymond Rhinehart Kathy Saltzman Romey, Minnesota Chorale Robbin Roshi Rose Christina Rowan Katie and Jim Rowan Barbara Ryan Caroline L. Sargent Tim Seelig Elena Sharkova Alison Skinner David Spector Michael M. Spresser Jenni Stadtmiller Sue Stamberger Eric Stark Robert and Averill Summer Kathryn Thickstun Jesse Thrall Marjie and Gary Toops Gale Townsley Scott Tucker Albert W. Uhl Chris Verdugo Chuck Waldron Carol Ward Jill Whaley Rebecca Wink Holly Wolff Michael Wu

Friends

(under $100)

Amanda Adams-Barney Joan Addicott Ari Agha

Gifts Made in Honor or in Memory mcHandel 7ad for Voice with big book7.indd 1

10/22/20 10:43:04 AM

Become A Monthly Giving Club Donor Today!

Give easily and often when you join our Monthly Giving Club.

Every small gift makes choruses and communities stronger.

rt Sta w! o N

Visit us at chorusamerica.org/support

30 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

Chorus America received the following gifts in honor of or in memory of special individuals.

Alison Bernet in Honor of Corty Fengler Molly Buzick Pontin in Honor of Robert Penn Carol A. Cohen in Memory of Margaret Peterson Brigid Coult in Memory of Patrick Wedd Hugh Davies in Honor of Marie Bucoy-Calavan Corty Fengler in Honor of Chorus America Staff Alexandra Fuchs in Memory of Margaret Peterson Shayla A. Hines in Honor of Catherine Dehoney

Juliana Koo in Memory of Margaret Peterson Sarah Lee in Memory of Margaret Peterson Christine Letts in Memory of Margaret Peterson Ann P. McNair in Honor of Chorus America Team Mark W. Ohnmacht in Honor of Catherine Dehoney Gary K. Pai in Honor of David Hayes Deborah Patel in Honor of Chorus America Board of Directors

Leonard Ratzlaff in Memory of Frank Ratzlaff Katherine L. Rowan in Honor of Mike Rowan Carol L. Sargent in Honor of Karen Simpkin Rose Gonon Barbara M. Tagg in Honor of Catherine Dehoney and the magnificent Chorus America Staff Brooke Bandfield Taylor in Memory of Larry Bandfield Helene Whitson in Memory of Shirley Drexler Kerry Wilkerson in Honor of Catherine Dehoney Duain Wolfe in Honor of Anne Grobstich Erps

Anna Ahrens Kathleen Andrle Shannon Arnold Maddy Baker Carol Barnett Linda Beck Alison Bernet Susan Bialek James Bond Anne Watson Born Watson Bosler Jerry Buzzell Gary Cannon Dallas Caples Stephen Caracciolo Karen Carp Lesley Carter Karyn Castro Jan Clayton Brian Clissold Jill Clymer Teresa Coffman André Coleman Casey Cook Susan Coughlin Brigid Coult Ofer dal Lal Cory Davis Lou De La Rosa Debra Defotis Katharine Drake Susan M. Duprey Christine Dyslin Anne Erps Laura Fischer Rebecca Fitch Cindy Flinn Marilynn Flood José Daniel FloresCaraballo Alexandra Fuchs Janet Galvan Flo Gardner Judith Gary Victoria Gau Margaret Genovese Bridget George Mark Glickman Angie Godfrey Sarah Goodwin Mary T. H. Gordon Kathleen Grammer Matthew Greer Kenda Hammer Cricket Handler Amy Hansen Jeannette Hargroves Stephanie Harris Julie Haydon Micah Hendler Shayla A. Hines Steve Honley Cynthia Hoyer Marlon Hurst Brenda Iacocca Joshua Jacobson Kathleen Jagielski Hussein Janmohamed Cathleen Josaitis Ellen Keating Kay Kendall Jerry Kenney Linda Kiracibasi Shohei Kobayashi Diane Koshi Carol Kumar

Karen Lane Sally Ann Ledbetter Don Lee Lynn Lee Michelle Lee Sarah Lee Diana J. Leland John Leonard Sally LeSchofs Felicia Lipson Michelle Louer Morgan Luttig Katie MacDonald Julia Malecki Whitney McColley Marguerite McCormick Daniel McInerney Christie McKinney Ann P. McNair Deah McReynolds Kelsey Menehan David Mennicke Neveen Michael Andrew Minear Robert Molison Emma and Patrick Moores Brian Moul Wendy Moy Stacy Newman Jillian Newton Pat Owens Wayne Perry Melanie Popejoy MaryLynn Quartaroli Greg Rainville James Rash Adam Reinwald Mary and David Richards Andrew Richardson Jennifer Rodgers Katherine Rohwer Kris Rongstad Christine Rouce San Francisco Lyric Chorus Alisa and Ryan Saunders Suzanne Schaeffer Susan Schapiro David W. Schwarz Anne Sears Rebecca Seeman Daniel Shaw Jane Shepherd Kate Sibley Cammie Stephens Al Sturgis Ann Temkin André J. Thomas Ryan Tibbetts Sara Trautman-Yegenoglu Michelle Trefren Saara Ullery Ruben Valenzuela Amie Vandersluis Jane Walker Jenny Walters Dorothy Wilson Douglas H. Wilton Windward Choral Society John Yankee Barbara Zoeller Michele Zuckman u

Singing City

Webinars Hosted by Artistic & Music Director Jeffrey Brillhart Join us for these upcoming free webinars.

Visit www.singingcity.org for more information and to register.

Sunday, February 7, 2021, 2 p.m.

Making Music in the LGBTQ Community David Conte & Miriam Davidson

Sunday, April 25, 2 p.m.

Singing for Social Justice Frederica von Stade & Rollo Dilworth

music that matters

2021

Chorus AmericA Conference Winter | February 11–12 Summer | June 16 –18 N TRATIO S I REG NS IN OPE !

DECEMBER g/ r .o rica ame chorus nf2021 co

Lead Conference Sponsor

Let’s Navigate the Changes in Our Field

together

The choral field is adapting and innovating in incredible ways—and our Conference is evolving to serve the changing needs of choral leaders.

Join us online in February and June to learn, connect with each other, and celebrate what makes the choral community so special.

With generous funding support from

www.chorusamerica.org 31

Chorus America Officers Chair Brian Newhouse Minnesota Orchestra (MN) Treasurer John Earls Prospect House (OH) Secretary Marie Bucoy-Calavan University of Akron (OH)

Members of the Board

Anton Armstrong St. Olaf College (MN) Jeffrey Barnett Dorsal Capital Management LLC (CA) Charles Berardesco Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington (DC) Dashon Burton Professional Singer (NY) Iris Derke Distinguished Concerts International, New York (NY) Rollo Dilworth Temple University (PA) Mary Doughty Mauch Conductor and Community Organizer (IL) Morna Edmundson Elektra Women’s Choir (BC) Todd Estabrook Handel and Haydn Society (MA) Miguel Ángel Felipe University of Arizona (AZ) Corty B. Fengler Cappella SF (CA) David Hayes Mannes School of Music (NY) Elfrieda Heinrichs The Heinrichs Foundation (ON) Robert Istad Pacific Chorale; California State University Fullerton (CA) Craig Jessop Utah State University (UT) Anne Keiser Choral Arts Society of Washington (DC) Robyn Reeves Lana Cincinnati Youth Choir (OH) Mark Lawson ECS Publishing Group (MO) Alysia Lee Maryland State Department of Education; Sister Cities Girlchoir (MD) Marcela Molina Tucson Girls Chorus (AZ) David Morrow Morehouse College (GA) Linda Moxley Sarasota Concert Association (FL) Steven Neiffer Los Angeles Master Chorale (CA) John Nuechterlein Community Leader (MN) Elizabeth Núñez Young People’s Chorus of New York City (NY) Dianne Peterson The Washington Chorus (DC) Molly Buzick Pontin Pacific Chorale (CA) Andrea Ramsey Composer, Conductor, and Music Educator (MO) Eugene Rogers University of Michigan (MI) Diana Sáez Towson University (MD) Karen P. Thomas Seattle Pro Musica (WA) Anthony Trecek-King University of Hartford (CT) Duain Wolfe Chicago Symphony Chorus (IL); Colorado Symphony Chorus (CO)

32 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2020

2020 Honor Roll of Contributors Continuo Society Members

We are pleased to recognize the charter members of the Continuo Society, Chorus America’s legacy giving society.

The Continuo Society was established to honor donors for their support of Chorus America through their estate planning, e.g., as a beneficiary under their will, IRS final distribution, pension plan, or insurance policy.

John Alexander Ann Meier Baker and Robert Baker Catherine Dehoney Rollo Dilworth Joy and Chester Douglass Todd H. Estabrook Floyd Farmer Corty and Alf Fengler Vance Y. George Louise H. Greenberg Alan Harler Elfrieda and Vern Heinrichs Anne B. Keiser Mary and Phillip Lyons Kay and Mike McCarthy Allison McMillan Sandy and Jonathan Miller Trudy Weaver Miller C. William Moody Jr.+ Alice P. Parker Deborah and Jamshed Patel Dianne and Frank Peterson Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon Earl Rivers Rosalind and Gregg Smith+ Barbara M. Tagg Judith A. Willoughby

In-Kind Gifts

Charles Andrew Berardesco Dashon Burton Bob Chilcott David Conte Antonio C. Cuyler +Deceased

Sustaining Members We gratefully acknowledge the leadership of our Sustaining Members, whose additional gift of $100 or more as part of their membership goes directly to support Chorus America’s programs. This list recognizes all Sustaining Members between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2020.

Nicole Belmont Ryan Brandau Andrew Brown Fran Collmann Emily Crocker Floyd Farmer Brooks Firestone Barbara Greene Annie Hargraves Greg Hobbs Kathleen Holt

Kristine Howell Robert Istad David W. Johnson Arthur Kerr Josh Krugman Anita Kupriss Kathleen Leones Master Chorale of Flagstaff David Morales Richard A. Pace

Todd H. Estabrook Lisa Husseini The King’s Singers Mackus Company Illuminated Manuscripts Kay and Mike McCarthy Sarah Quartel Susan Erburu Reardon and George Reardon Deke Sharon Signum Records Karen P. Thomas Christopher Tin Gwyneth Walker Dale Warland Nadine Peiffer Wethington Eric Whitacre

Director’s Society We gratefully acknowledge the three-year pledges made by former members of Chorus America’s Board of Directors.

Evan Padgitt Catherine Peterson Paul Rabin Peter Rutenberg Jon Saxton Alison Skinner Michael M. Spresser Marjie and Gary Toops Holly Wolff

These multi-year gifts help us build a predictable revenue stream so that we can respond to the changing needs of the choral field. We are grateful for the continued leadership of these committed members of the Chorus America family.

Philip Brunelle Richard Coffey Dominick DiOrio III Floyd Farmer Joyce Garrett Alan Harler Terry Knowles and Marshall Rutter Mary A. Lyons Mike McCarthy C. William Moody, Jr+ Alice Parker Earl Rivers Robert Simpson Frank Stubbs Barbara Tagg Arlene Williams

Every donor is important to us. If we have not listed your contribution correctly, please let us know by contacting KellyAnn Nelson at 202.331.7577 ext. 247 or kellyann@chorusamerica.org.

Advertising Index ACDA.......................................................................... 28 Bach Society of St. Louis............................................. 7 Bard College Conservatory of Music......................... 27 Berkshire Choral International..................................... 2 Cappella Romana......................................................... 9 Choral Arts Society of Washington........................... 21 Chorus America....................................................30, 31 Commonwealth Youthchoirs...................................... 17 Greenfield Communications...................................... 30 Hal Leonard Corporation............................................C3 Houston Chamber Choir............................................. 12 Interkultur................................................................... 23

Karen Siegel, Composer............................................ 20 MCP’s Forward Motion..............................................C2 Monmouth Civic Chorale........................................... 30 MUSICFOLDER.com...................................................... 7 My Choral Coach........................................................C4 MyMusicFolders.com................................................. 15 October Project........................................................... 21 Rising Software.......................................................... 14 Singing City................................................................. 31 The Taylor Music Group............................................. 22 University Music Service........................................... 20 Utah State University................................................. 16

DISTANCE LEARNING OPTIONS FOR CHOIRS FROM

With the current school year changing every day, Hal Leonard is happy to offer options to make it easier for both teacher and student.

From Digital Learning Voice Class to resources with access to supplemental recordings online, Hal Leonard has everything you need for a successful school year. To view our complete list of distance learning solutions, please visit www.halleonard.com/distancelearning/.

Digital Learning Voice Class is a brand new series from Hal Leonard created to support educators with remote teaching and learning. This digital product includes sheet music viewable on Sheet Music Direct and backing tracks accessible on Hal Leonard’s MyLibrary for teachers to share with up to 20 students.

AURA LEE

DIDN’T MY LORD DELIVER DANIEL

SHOSHONE LOVE SONG

DARK BROWN IS THE RIVER

IN TIME OF SILVER RAIN

THE STARS ARE WITH THE VOYAGER

Emily Crocker 00356440 Medium High Voice ......................... $19.99 00356441 Medium Low Voice .......................... $19.99 Audrey Snyder 00356468 Medium High Voice ......................... $19.99 00356469 Medium Low Voice .......................... $19.99

Roger Emerson 00356413 Medium High Voice ......................... $19.99 00356414 Medium Low Voice .......................... $19.99 Audrey Snyder 00356473 Medium High Voice ......................... $19.99 00356513 Medium Low Voice .......................... $19.99

Roger Emerson 00355239 Medium High Voice ......................... $19.99 00356409 Medium Low Voice .......................... $19.99 Emily Crocker 00356415 Medium High Voice ......................... $19.99 00356416 Medium Low Voice .......................... $19.99

OTHER GREAT RESOURCES JIM PAPOULIS SONGWRITING WORKSHOP FOR CHOIRS Jim Papoulis

Composer and inspirational teacher Jim Papoulis draws from his many experiences to present this program that can be catered to in-person, distanced or virtual classroom/rehearsal teaching. This fully-outlined teaching curriculum details each phase of the process of creating a song together and includes templates as well as instrumental audio files for support.

00357083 Digital Book .....................................$150.00

SOUND PATTERNS Emily Crocker

Imagine – learning to sight read while having fun!

Singers will grasp concepts quickly while singing “real music” from day one. This step-by-step method includes fun songs with lyrics, dynamics, and accompaniment, along with prepatory exercises that are interesting, authentic, and flexible. This resource may be used with beginners of any age.

00324672 Teacher Edition ..................................$79.99 00324671 Student Edition ....................................$5.99

Sheet Music Direct has added over 10,000 choral titles to their PASS subscription for unlimited online access. Learn more at www.sheetmusicdirect.com.

WARM-UPS FOR CHANGING VOICES Dan Andersen

As any middle school choir director knows, understanding the general limits of male and female changing voices is key. This book is an accessible, must-read resource for any middle school choir director looking to foster stronger, more capable musicians with 25 warm-up exercises along with grade-specific tips.

00215525 Book w/ Online Media........................$24.99

POP ROUNDS FOR CHOIR

arr. Roger Emerson

The singing rounds has always been an easy way to introduce harmony to young singers. Now they can enjoy rounds based on the hit pop songs by John Legend, Anna Kendrick, Camila Cabello, Justin Timberlake and more! Each Performance Kit comes with 8 books and a code to access full performance and accompaniment recordings online.

00327549 2-Part Songbook .........................................$4.95 00345524 Performance Kit ........................................$39.99

Ideal for K–12 or college, Noteflight Learn allows students and teachers to create, share, record, and assess music online. This also includes access to thousands of scores. Learn more at www.noteflight.com/learn.

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PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT #498

1200 18th Street NW, Suite 1250 Washington, DC 20036