From the President & CEO

from the president & ceo media campaign for the field that we will launch this fall. The campaign is centered on a website: RediscoverHarmony.com. The website will have three main components, all freely available for your chorus and choruses everywhere to use in your own campaigns and messaging: • A location-based directory of choruses so that people can search for—and donate to—organizations in their communities • An interactive tool that lets It’s Time to website visitors play with the voices of real choral singers to create their own chords • A social media toolkit that ensembles, singers, and choral music lovers can customize and use to spread the #RediscoverHarmony #RediscoverHarmony word. #RediscoverHarmony began as the brainchild of a group of executive directors who are part of Chorus America’s Leadership Development Forum (LDF), a peer learning group for leaders of A collaborative social media campaign launching large-budget choruses. It’s been a joy to work on this campaign colthis fall will encourage public support for the laboratively with leaders Jean Davidson, Ann McNair, Steve Smith, choral community. LDF colleagues and other advisors in the field, and BRINK, the creative agency that is bringing #RediscoverHarmony to life for Ihope you have had a chance to rest and recharge this summer, as I and the Chorus America staff have. Our entire office took a break in July after what had been a nonstop year, including not one, but two virtual conferences. Both were great successes; my sincere thanks to everyone who us. Furthermore, it’s incredibly meaningful to see so many of the large-budget organizations in Chorus America’s membership step up to fund this campaign to benefit the entire field. We’re deeply grateful for their leadership and support, along with sponsorship from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation. We hope this resource will help choruses raise awareness of the participated in the winter and summer events! myriad benefits they bring to their communities and take public

I know I’m not alone in appreciating a lot about this summer that excitement about choruses to a new level. You’ll be hearing much I’ve taken for granted in pre-pandemic years. It has felt wonderful more about this campaign as we prepare for the fall launch. For to attend outdoor concerts, watch fireworks with neighbors, and now, please take a moment to visit rediscoverharmony.com to add wander farmers markets to find the best peaches and tomatoes. your chorus to the location-based directory and share the link with While recent news about the status of the pandemic isn’t all positive, other chorus leaders far and wide. I’ve been grateful for every day of greater access to community and Whatever your chorus’s plans are for this fall, we hope greater connection with friends, family, and colleagues. #RediscoveryHarmony can amplify the important work you are

During our Summer Conference in June, I was thrilled to hear doing. Together we can shine a light on our choral community in choruses’ plans for returning to music making in-person in the all its inspiring beauty, diversity, and impact. coming year as health and safety conditions permit. We’ve shared some of this important discussion in this issue’s “Reopening Considerations” article. I also heard concerns about how long it might take for singers and audiences to feel comfortable returning, Catherine Dehoney given the media attention on the risk of spreading the coronavirus President & CEO, Chorus America during group singing.

And yet, as those of us in the field know so well, choral singing is exactly what our communities need now more than ever! The inclusion, freedom of expression, unity, and joy found in singing together make it the perfect antidote to the isolation and dissonance that we’ve all experienced over the past year—and that’s been so present in society well before the pandemic.

To encourage the public to support choruses in their community as in-person concerts and events begin to reopen, I’m excited to share news about #RediscoverHarmony, a collaborative social The inclusion, freedom of expression, unity, and joy found in singing together make it the perfect antidote to the isolation and dissonance that we’ve all experienced over the past year.