Voice 47.1 - Fall/Winter 2023

THE

Volume 47 Number 1 Fall/Winter 2023

Applying Big Marketing Ideas to Your Chorus Honor Roll Variations on Messiah

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH GROUP SINGING

CHORUS AMERICA

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T H E

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F E AT U R E S

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10 | Building Community and Cultural Learning through Group Singing

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16 | Gained in Translation: Variations on Handel’s Messiah

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

by Thomas May

COLUMNS 3

Programs and Membership Manager Karyn Castro Information and Digital Asset Manager Casey Cook Vice President of Finance and Operations Anne Grobstich Erps Executive Assistant Anthony Khong Vice President of Programs, Strategy, and Development Christie McKinney

Director of Grants Kim Theodore Sidey Membership and Grants Senior Associate Vale Southard

Capacity Building = Inspiring Singing Experiences

by Catherine Dehoney

D E PA R T M E N T S 4

Chorus Connections Member News, Events, & Announcements

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Marketing Corner

Director of Development Allison Munoz Associate Director of Communications Mike Rowan

From the President & CEO

Applying Big Marketing Ideas to your Chorus

CHORUS AMERICA 29 32 32

2023 Honor Roll of Contributors Ad Index Board of Directors

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On the Cover: Grand Vision Foundation’s Roots of Music program introduces students to a range of musical styles and the cultures from which those styles come. The program received a 2022–23 grant from Chorus America’s Music Education Partnership Grants program.

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Find YOUR CHORAL ADVENTURE at BCI ANNOUNCING THE SUMMER 2024 SE ASON

Lenox

FRANK NEMHAUSER MAY 22-26

JUNE 13-16 DIANA SÁEZ

Amherst

Great Barrington JOE MILLER JUNE 23-30

JULY 14-21 EUGENE ROGERS

Vienna

Denver

ERIN FREEMAN AUGUST 4-11

Berkshire Choral International expands the horizons of singers through participation in exhilarating performances, enriching travel and cultural exploration, lifelong music education, and connection to an inspiring community of choral artists.

berkshirechoral.org

Capacity building enables our organization and its leaders to develop competencies and skills that make Chorus America more effective and sustainable.

Capacity Building = Inspiring Singing Experiences Building and sustaining your organization’s resources increases your ability to fulfill your mission.

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learned recently that the word, “economics” can be traced back to the Greek word oikonomia. Oikonomia combines two words: oikos, which is usually translated as “household” or ‘home” and nemein, which is translated as “management and dispensation.” While it seems removed from today’s complex social science of micro- and macroeconomics, history proves that the key to an organization’s economic health begins at “home”.

This is why one of the three key objectives in Chorus America’s new strategic plan is all about sustaining and building Chorus America’s human, financial, and operational resources. It can feel like this focus on capacity building takes attention away from the mission, just when our world needs singing in community more than ever. However, capacity building enables our organization and its leaders to develop competencies and skills that make Chorus America more effective and sustainable. This in turn increases our ability to fulfill our mission, strengthening singing communities with the advocacy, connections, and resources they need to be a vital part of society and enrich lives with great singing experiences.

Applying the math principle of when A = B, and B = C, then A = C, this boils down to capacity building = great singing experiences!

The first change you’ll notice over the next few months is an improved user experience on our website, which is supported behind the scenes by a new database as well. As our world evolved to rely more on virtual interaction and online resources, it became even more urgent to update our ten-year old technology infrastructure.

We had been working with a complicated web of disparate software packages, fueled by far too many staff workarounds to keep the wheels turning. With our new system, we feel as though we’ve moved from a 2011 Honda Civic to a 2023 Tesla! We are still learning to

“drive” this new system to its full capacity but have already seen improved efficiencies.

We are also exploring what Chorus America’s ideal earned/contributed income balance needs to be. During the pandemic, Chorus America saw a drop in earned revenue and relied more heavily on contributed operating income primarily from short-term federal emergency funding. We are focusing on sustaining and diversifying revenue streams—including growing earned revenue and major gifts. This means additional investment in staff expertise and leadership. To leverage our excellent staff even more, we’ve promoted key leaders and reorganized the reporting structure so that each department reports to one of three vice presidents. We will also expand our fundraising office to two full-time development professionals.

A related priority is to expand the Music Education Partnership Grants program. This new area of work has such exciting potential to support music education access and Chorus America’s infrastructure; we are working to secure the funding necessary to expand its reach geographically.

Overarching all this work is a commitment to infuse ADEI principles throughout our systems and services. We are prioritizing the work to assess and continually measure all areas of Chorus America’s operations and report our findings in full transparency.

From analyzing our job descriptions and postings for biased language, to securing services from diverse business partners, we are working on wholistically tracking and taking action across the organization.

I hear from many chorus leaders that it can seem as if building the chorus and presenting your outward facing “product” leaves absolutely zero time to attend to the economics of your organizational “household”. When striving for a happy, skilled, and ideally balanced chorus; the perfect concert; the exciting new community program; or the commission that amplifies essential messages of our day (while showcasing your ideally balanced chorus), how can stopping to fix your database, or invest in skilled staff, fit in? Who has time for oikonomia and who is going to help fund it anyway?

Despite the very real challenges, I encourage choral organizations and leaders to carve out the time to focus on capacity building because the long-term impact is so worth it. When you look for support for this type of work, start with those who are closest to your organization, such as long-time donors, board members, singers. For Chorus America, we are grateful for support from Board members, and the ability to use some reserve funds.

Capacity building becomes inspirational when you follow the ripple effects to great singing experiences. It’s a privilege to embark on this work to ensure a bright future for Chorus America and the field.

Catherine Dehoney President & CEO, Chorus America www.chorusamerica.org

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A N N O U N C E M E N T S

Premieres

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n March 4, Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia and Commonwealth Youthchoirs (pictured) joined forces to present the world premiere of We Are Waves, the culmination of a partnership that began in the midst of the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. After the two choruses collaborated to hold a virtual event in March 2021, they obtained a grant to commission a new work from composer Carlos Cordero and poet Julie Flanders. We Are Waves is “an exploration of the discovery and acknowledgment of our vulnerability and power.” Guest conductors Rollo Dilworth and Alysia Lee directed nearly 300 singers at the joyful event.

On June 4, to mark the conclusion of its 50th anniversary season, Bucks County

Choral Society (BCCS) gave the world premiere of Life, Death, & Cats, a four-movement work commissioned from neurodivergent poet Emily Fulmer and composer John Conahan. BCCS engaged a recent Bucks County Poet Laureate with experience working with neurodivergent writers to help collaborate with Fulmer, a local writer who was known to members of the

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e welcome your news and photos any time.

Post them to the Member News area of our website at bit.ly/ CA-member-news.

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The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

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he newly-formed Mosaic Youth Chorus, which was formed to provide the diverse youth of Lehigh Valley with a year-round youth chorus outlet that creates community and effects positive social change, gave its first public performance at a Lehigh Valley IronPigs baseball game and held its debut concert on November 17 in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania. The chorus performed music in six languages and drew attention to the plight of children experiencing conflict across the globe at the concert.

chorus who were parents or caregivers of developmentally disabled persons.

The Children’s Chorus of Washington partnered with Shenandoah Valley Children’s Choir, Toronto Children’s Chorus, Young Voices of the Philippines, Virginia Children’s Chorus, St. Genevieve Valiant Voices, and The Children’s Orchestra Society to give the world premiere of Missa Virtutum, a new mass for treble voices by composer Jude B. Roldan, on July 7 at Carnegie Hall as part of Voices Together, an international youth choral festival.

On August 18, San Francisco Choral Society presented the U.S. premiere of Ukrainian composer Alexander Shchetynsky’s Requiem. The performance was dedicated to the memory of Ukrainian conductor Yuri Kerpatenko, who was fatally shot in September 2022 after refusing to cooperate with Russian occupiers.

On November 8, The Choral Arts Society of Washington presented the U.S. premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s Coronation Sanctus, an orchestrated version that the chorus commissioned, conducted by renowned orchestral conductor Marin Alsop.

On October 7, the Houston Chamber Choir (HCC) gave the world premiere of The Joyful Mysteries, a concert-length work for chorus, chamber orchestra, and soloists by composer Daniel Knaggs.

In addition, HCC released the world premiere recording of Knaggs’ 2021 cantata for chorus and string ensemble, Two Streams, on November 17.

The Brooklyn Youth Chorus joined folk artist Aoife O’Donovan for a performance of three new commissions at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts as part of the FreshGrass Festival, which celebrates innovative grassroots music. n

Awards

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he Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) and iSing Silicon Valley garnered awards at the 2023 World Choir Games, hosted in Gangneung, South Korea, produced and hosted by international choral festival organizer Interkultur. The games, described as the largest choral competition in the world and based on Olympic ideals of peacefully unifying people and nations connected by song through competition, u

The brea(d)th of the Promise: Reimagining Chorus Preparation in Our Time

Shekela Wanyama reflects on her experience assisting artistic director Kathy Saltzman Romey as the Minnesota Chorale prepared for an emotional world premiere collaboration honoring George Floyd.

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onductors are accustomed to having the answers. We are experts at in-depth research and analysis, careful planning, and usually answer questions before people even realize they have them. It can be an intimidating yet refreshing change to encounter a piece of music that demands more from us and asks more questions than it answers, revealing new possibilities for our art form and collaborators.

This was the case with brea(d)th, a piece for chorus, orchestra, and spoken word artist that was premiered in May 2023 by the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Chorale, and 29:11 International Exchange (pictured). The piece, commissioned by the Minnesota Orchestra, was co-written by Carlos Simon (composer) and Marc Bamuthi Joseph (librettist and spoken word performer in the premiere performances). As Simon and Joseph write in the Artist Statement, brea(d)th is “a classical work, inspired by the enduring presence of George Floyd the Ancestor, asking America to consider an equitable future.”

In addition to the usual premiere-related unknowns, the emotional weight of performing this work in Minneapolis could not be underestimated. Orchestra Hall is a few miles from where George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight in 2020, and across the street from where Amir Locke was murdered in his sleep in 2022.

Both Black men were killed by members of the Minneapolis Police Department in a state with a troubling history of racial violence on behalf of law enforcement. We questioned how to allocate time between learning the piece and understand-

ing its context, the positionality of the Chorale as a predominantly White chorus, and the role of the chorus within the entirety of the work.

The singers in this project experienced a rehearsal process divided roughly equally between learning the score and small group discussion. Discussions in rehearsals centered on questions drawn directly from the libretto: “When in your life have you felt most free?” “If not justice for all America/ Then how do you choose/Who wins America/ Does somebody invariably lose?”

For some Chorale members, these conversations were the first time they spoke openly with others about Mr. Floyd’s killing and the devastating days after.

Indeed, America must, as Joseph and Simon remind us, begin to “heal in public.” Our rehearsal process, although imperfect and constrained by time, was an example of a first step toward healing. The result was a deeply engaged chorus ready to not only perform with technical skill, but also to challenge audiences to listen, to reflect, and to act. Singers commented that the project was meaningful, mind-opening, heart-opening, and among their most memorable singing experiences.

Brea(d)th allowed me to imagine and articulate a model of chorus preparation that is holistic, interdisciplinary, and responsive to the needs of the singers on the project as well as the needs of our community at large. Symphonic choruses, with their substantial rosters, have enormous potential to support change when it is required but have yet to fully leverage this potential.

Pieces like brea(d)th shed light on the possibilities and, indeed, the responsibility to do so.

To read Wanyama’s full article on her reflection, visit bit.ly/CA-breadth.

www.chorusamerica.org

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drew 324 ensembles and participants from 46 countries and regions at the 2023 event.

YPC (pictured above) won five gold medals including three as world champions, while iSing (pictured right) won two gold medals including one as world champions.

Chicago a cappella announced the 2023 winners of HerVoice, a competition and mentorship program founded by the ensemble to showcase the talents of emerging women composers: Grace Brigham, Jennifer Lucy Cook, Devon Gates, and Andelena Jackson.

The ensemble also released Miracle of Miracles — Music for Hanukkah, a recording “aimed at unveiling the richer meaning of the Festival of Lights” through a wide range of musical styles and emotions, “showcasing the creativity and vitality of American Jewish musical traditions.”

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The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

October Project, a New York-based musical collective, earned a 2023 Gold Telly Award in the category of Social Video-Virtual Events & Experiences for a virtual choir rendition of their original song “Return to Me,” sung by 130 singers from 18 countries. The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens.

Philadelphia-based The Crossing (pictured below) was named Musical America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year.

The Crossing is only the second vocal ensemble to win the award.

Conductor Lisa Wong, director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra, was selected in 2023 as an Honored Artist of The American Prize. Honored Artists “are individuals (or ensembles) who have proven themselves to be of ‘sustained excellence’ over a number of seasons as laureates of The American Prize competitions.” n

Chorus America Academy Programs Highlight Summer of 2023

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Releases

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he summer of 2023 marked the debut of an intensive Chorus America training program for emerging early-to-mid-career leaders, and the return of another.

Jonathan and Sandy Miller of Sounds Good Choir with their research team and poster

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ounds Good Choir, a Chicagoarea chorus for people with early-stage memory loss and their caregivers, partnered with researchers at Northwestern University’s Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease with consultation from Rush University’s Alzheimer’s Center to conduct a study on the impact of choral singing as a non-medical social intervention. Their research was presented as a poster session at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in July, and expanded into a full-length paper that was submitted to an academic journal for consideration to be published.

Two new choral podcasts have launched in recent months. Jocelyn Hagen’s Compose Like a Girl shares conversations with composers as a part of a larger initiative that amplifies female-identifying composers and works toward diversity and equity in concert programming and commissioning. The Bach Society of Saint Louis’s Bach Talk delves into a vibrant community that keeps Bach’s music alive.

Cappella Romana, based in Portland, Oregon, released Arvo Pärt: Odes Of Repentance, continuing a longstanding dedication to the composer’s work. The

The inaugural Choral Executive Leadership Academy (pictured above) took place May– August, convening 27 participants both in person and online. This first-of-its-kind leadership development program for choral leaders who have been marginalized because of race and ethnicity—developed in collaboration with choral conductor, composer, consultant, and equity coach Arreon Harley-Emerson—focuses on building administrative skillsets required of C-suite leaders in order to create career pathways to executive leadership. The program launched with a gathering at the 2023 Chorus America Conference in San Francisco, met for weekly online classes throughout the summer, and concluded with a culminating online event featuring presentations from each participant.

University, Fullerton on July 3–9. Twelve conducting fellows and fifteen scholars gathered for a week of intensive study with world-class, supportive faculty—led by Conducting Academy dean Rob Istad—to build choral-orchestral skills and gain unique, valuable experience conducting choral-orchestral repertoire in front of a live orchestra. Fellows and scholars participated in podium sessions, one-on-one conducting lessons, and special forums, culminating in a final performance in Meng Concert Hall featuring Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight by Florence Price, Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Symphony No. 9, 4th Movement by Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Choral-Orchestral Conducting Academy (pictured right) was held in person for the first time since 2019, returning to California State

recording curates a selection of Pärt’s Orthodox works, presenting them as a prayer service of repentance.

Austin, Texas ensemble Conspirare released House of Belonging, a collection of world premieres for choir and instruments from composers Alex Berko, Craig Hella Johnson, Shara Nova, Kevin Puts, Michael

Schachter, and Derrick Skye. The recording also includes music of Margaret Bonds, Ross Lee Finney and Moira Smiley.

Author and educator Eric Booth published Making Change: Teaching Artists and Their Role in Shaping a Better World, the first-ever book to introduce teaching artistry to a general audience. The book is being used as an advocacy tool to engage potential new supporters as Booth builds a network to provide more support for teaching artists.

Elevation, a project of the Delaware u www.chorusamerica.org

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San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus Celebrates Historic Arts Center Opening

SFGMC performed at The Chan’s opening reception; Artistic director Jacob Stensberg (l) and executive director Chris Verdugo (r) with Lieutenant Governor of California Eleni Kounalakis

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n October, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) opened the doors of The Pansy L. Chan and Terrence D. Chan National Queer Arts Center (The Chan), which will serve as the chorus’s new home. The LGBTQ+ arts center is the first of its kind in the country, founded with the support of a three-year, $15 million capital campaign conducted by SFGMC and housed in a restored 1930s art deco inspired building in San Francisco’s Mission District.

On October 28, SFGMC held an opening reception for over 400 donors, supporters, and dignitaries, filled with speeches, special presentations, and performances by the chorus. Then on October 30, SFGMC held a public open house for the Bay Area community to experience and celebrate the arts center.

©AARON CONWAY

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he Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) appointed Scott Altman (pictured) to the position of president & CEO, effective January 2, 2024. Altman comes to LAMC from the Cincinnati Ballet, where he held the same role since 2016, and also enjoyed a 20-year career as an opera singer and taught at Princeton University for three years.

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The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

©AZY SCOTTEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Appointments and Retirements

Jameson Gilpatrick (pictured) joined Philadelphia’s Commonwealth Youthchoirs as its new executive director in July. Gilpatrick comes to the organization with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit performing arts management, and most recently served as chief financial & administrative officer for Trenton Health Team.

ProMusica Arizona appointed Zack Wells (pictured) as its new executive director in July. Wells has held various executive positions in his career, and also brings experience in leadership in the Arizona arts community and singing as a member of the chorale.

Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) welcomed Akiba Abaka (pictured) as the

© D REW A LT I Z E R P H O T O G RA P H Y

© KI RST E N L O KE N A N D D RE W A LT I Z E R P H O T O G RA P H Y

Academy of Vocal Arts, released its debut album, Eternity, showcasing the ensemble’s versatility and ability to fuse classical choral music jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and spoken word.

Phoenix Chorale released The Christmas Album, the ensemble’s first recording in eight years and first under artistic director Christopher Gabbitas. The album leans into the chorale’s sense of geographic identity, including Catalan folk songs, Hispanic Renaissance music, and pieces from local composers.

Ember released Voices of the Holocaust, a world-premiere recording of a concertlength oratorio for soloist, chorus, and chamber ensemble by composer Michael Shapiro, setting poetry in multiple languages written during the Holocaust. Ember gave the premiere performance in New York City’s Central Synagogue on November 9, 2022.

Empire City Men’s Chorus released All Is Mere Breath, a work from composer Nicholas Weininger debuted by the ensemble that was inspired by Weininger’s reflections on a Hebrew verse during the COVID-19 pandemic. n

The Chan “will become an artistic sanctuary for queer artists to call home, a space for audiences to share their lived experiences, and a beacon of inspiration and empowerment for queer individuals nationwide who are confronting oppression,” according to SFGMC. The chorus plans to open the building to performing and visual artists as an incubator and workshop space to spark collaborations and develop new projects to further enhance the LGBTQ+ arts field. SFGMC will also present an inaugural series of intimate performances and events at The Chan this season.

organization’s first director of good trouble. In this role—the title of which was inspired by the famous words of the late civil rights leader John Lewis— Abaka will shape programmatic offerings and be a key architect in redesigning BCC’s integrated music and social justice education curriculum.

Diablo Choral Artists hired Luis González (pictured) to serve as its new artistic director. González has a multi-faceted career as a conductor, music educator, and baritone soloist, spanning opera, musical theater, and major symphonic and choral works.

Anthony Blake Clark (pictured) was appointed to the

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position of Dallas Symphony Chorus Director at the start of the 2023–24 season.

Clark is also music director of Baltimore Choral Arts, Artistic Director of Bach Vespers in NYC, and director of choral activities at George Washington University.

Buffalo Choral Arts Society appointed David Curtis (pictured) as its new music director/ conductor. Curtis is also organist/director of music at Oakfield United Methodist Church, and formerly held the position of artistic director with the Orchard Park Chorale.

Brandon Elliott (pictured) began a new position as choral and vocal studies director at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California starting in the fall 2023 semester. Elliott was previously director of choral and vocal activities at Moorpark College and is also the founder and artistic director of Choral Arts Initiative in Orange County.

Jessica Bailey (pictured) was named executive director of Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, starting November 1.

Bailey comes to the Repertory Singers with extensive experience in nonprofit administration and fundraising and was previously assistant vice provost at University of California, Santa Cruz.

Julia Morris (pictured) was appointed artistic director of the Vallejo (California) Choral Society. Morris was a participant

in Chorus America’s 2023 Choral-Orchestral Conducting Academy, and previously served as assistant conductor for the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra.

Cantus named Bob Peskin (pictured) as interim executive director as the ensemble begins a search process for a permanent leader. Peskin recently retired as executive director from the Minnesota Chorale, having served in the role for 17 years.

The Washington Men’s Camerata named Scott Tucker (pictured) as guest director for most of the 2023–24 season, as music director Frank Albinder (pictured) takes a sabbatical to focus on the Camerata’s project to create a comprehensive national library of men’s choral music. Albinder also announced that he will retire at the end of the season, which is his 25th season with the ensemble and the Camerata’s 40th anniversary. Tucker is former artistic director of the Choral Arts Society of Washington and professor emeritus at Cornell University.

VocalEssence announced that executive director Mary Ann Aufderheide (pictured) will retire in the spring of 2024. Aufderheide’s 20-year tenure has been marked by growth,

Jerusalem Youth Chorus Adapts, Responds to Israel-Hamas War West Jerusalem to sing and engage in dialogue together, was forced to postpone the tour.

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hen Hamas launched a surprise assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 and Israel formally declared war against Hamas in response, the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC) was less than two weeks away from embarking on a tour to the United States. The chorus, which brings together Israeli and Palestinian teens from East and

In lieu of travel, JYC responded by organizing an online musical gathering to lift up Palestinian and Israeli voices for peace. The October 22 online event, hosted in collaboration with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, drew over 2,000 registrants and featured performances by Ziggy Marley, the National Symphony Orchestra, and others. A link to the concert is available by contacting the chorus.

“We must keep our hearts open to one another even as they are breaking; otherwise there is no way out of the cycle of violence,” said founder and artistic director Micah Hendler and executive director Amer Abu Arqub. The chorus hopes to reschedule the tour for this coming spring.

innovation, expansion of programs serving the Twin Cities community, and stability that enabled the ensemble to thrive and enjoy a reputation as a leading choral organization locally and nationally.

Carol Manifold (pictured) retired from the Choral Consortium of San Diego (CCSD), where she served as executive director for 13 years, on June 30. Manifold’s engagement with the consortium dates back to its very first meeting with a handful of San Diego area choruses. During her tenure CCSD grew to over 80 member organizations. n

C HORU S A M E R I C A STA F F I N G U P DAT E S

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hese new colleagues and expanded roles will strengthen Chorus America’s ability to serve our members and the field and to deepen relationships with a broad range of partners that help us accomplish our work.

In September, Chorus America welcomed Allison Munoz as director of development.

Allison has a robust fundraising background with a special focus on major gifts and a strong commitment to the arts, having held positions at Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington National Opera and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Allison values her connection to the choral community, and has sung with The Choral Arts Society of Washington, The Washington Chorus, and the Cornell University Chorus.

Two other staff members have been promoted to vice president positions. As vice president of programs, strategy, and development, Christie McKinney continues to lead Chorus America’s in-person, online, and hybrid programming as she guides strategic initiatives and development efforts to advance our work. As vice president of finance and operations, Anne Erps continues to lead Chorus America’s internal operations, including finance and human resources.

Vale Southard has been promoted to the position of membership and grants senior associate as she continues to provide key support to Chorus America members and grant partners and applicants.

www.chorusamerica.org

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BUILDING COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL LEARNING THROUGH GROUP SINGING Grant recipients from Chorus America’s Music Education Partnership Grants program share how they used group singing to create a sense of community and belonging through their projects.

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Students in Bluefield Arts & Revitalization Corporation’s Music Across the Years program 10 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

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n 2022, Chorus America’s Music Education Partnership Grants program distributed over $900,000 in grants to fund projects designed to increase access to and diversity in choral music education in North America.

Twenty-one arts organizations received funds to carry out a range of choral education projects in partnership with public schools in the United States and Canada.

Research has demonstrated the positive impact of group singing on community building, and Chorus America’s 2019 Chorus Impact Study: Singing for a Lifetime found that choral singers report stronger relationships and feel more connected to others. This article explores how grantee organizations’ projects built on these benefits of group singing to prioritize building community and cultural learning.

Some grant recipients noted that people in their communities often see choral music as something that is for white, middle-class people and is associated with church.

They tried to change this understanding by bringing out the joy of singing in community. They diversified the music that they taught and focused on the participatory process of making music together rather than the end product of a performance.

Several organizations also worked towards

M U SIC E D U C AT ION PA RT N E R SH I P G R A N T S : I M PAC T A N D LEARNINGS

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horus America engaged social science researcher Ayesha Casie Chetty to explore the impact of these grant supported projects with the goal of sharing these learnings with the broader field. The qualitative and quantitative research Casie Chetty conducted, in addition to informing this article, resulted in the publication of the impact report: Cross-Cultural Learning through Song. The report revealed some key findings on the power of musical school partnerships and how Chorus America and other funders might be better positioned to support future work in this space.

To read the full report, as well as additional videos and articles that highlight the stories, data, and lessons learned from the first year of the Music Education Partnership Grants program, visit chorusamerica.org/music-edgrants/impact-learnings.

Grand Vision Foundation’s Roots of Music program

diversifying students’ understanding of what choral music is, demonstrating that group singing can encompass many different styles and genres of music. As grantee organizations took different approaches to their projects, they found different ways to successfully use group singing to build community and create powerful experiences for participants.

Welcoming Newcomers through Group Singing Because making music with others is an opportunity to bond and work together towards a common goal, group singing can be a way for people to integrate into a new community and build relationships.

Led by First Nations musicians Deanna Gestrin and Russell Wallace, Vancouver Youth Choir’s (VYC) Kindred program is specifically designed to help newcomers to Canada find community and learn about Indigenous music and culture. While the program is built around music and singing, it is really a fluid, community gathering space, which does not have a strictly defined agenda. Together, Gestrin, Wallace, and the participants shape the way the sessions take place.

Gestrin is very intentional about not forcing the sessions to happen in a particular way—while there is a plan, it is not a typical rehearsal. “I love how organic it is,” she said. “I feel the most genuine when I don’t know the outcome, and I’m not overly trying to exercise control over the outcome … That’s the most exciting thing for me is really following the intention, like setting the intention of openness, and then allowing it to be open all throughout the process.”

Workshops centered a spirit that Gestrin described as “open-hearted connection” with a focus on humor and play. “Bringing laughter into the space right away early on … it is one of the ways to quickly connect and break down those social barriers. A language barrier, for instance,” she said. “I think that really helps with people who are struggling with language that we play right away.” The program also shifted to adapt to unexpected outcomes, including registered participants bringing companions like parents and siblings to workshops. “We ended up with a group that was much larger than any of us anticipated,” said VYC artistic director Carrie Tennant.

“We’re trying to decolonize the experience of singing in groups,” Gestrin said. This can be a struggle at times, particularly for musicians trained in the Western classical tradi-

tion, as Gestrin is. She explained that in this space she tries to “put the aspect of performing aside.” Performance is not an expectation of the program, although depending on whether each new batch of participants wants that or not, Gestrin has in the past arranged for the Kindred group to perform a few songs in a VYC concert. The goal is to build community around music and use Indigenous culture and knowledge to help newcomers to Canada adjust to their new lives.

Building Community and Sustaining Relationships Many grantee organizations centered community values and building community relationships in their project design. These are key priorities for Tucson Girls’ Chorus (TGC) and the Engagement Choirs program, which encompasses TGC’s work in Title 1 schools and community organizations across the Tucson, Arizona community.

Through this program, TGC began a relationship with the Tohono O’odham Nation, located approximately three hours away from Tucson, in 2021. The program serves students ranging from kindergarteners through eighth grade and includes some u www.chorusamerica.org

11

“Bringing laughter into the space right away early on … it is one of the ways to quickly connect and break down those social barriers.”

–Deanna Gestrin

Members of 29:11 International Exchange working with students as part of VocalEssence’s programming at Longfellow High School

high school students who serve as facilitators.

Teaching artist Nicky Manlove works with students once a week over Zoom, video calling in to a community center where the students gather. Despite challenges such as technology acting up and students’ limited access to resources including transportation to get to and from the center, this partnership has been a meaningful one and the students look forward to the weekly sessions.

TGC has been careful not to impose Western European-style classical musical training methods on the students. Instead, Manlove focuses on music-making and learning that is in line with students’ community and culture, in which, Manlove said, “music is an important form of knowledge production and memory.” Manlove makes the sessions as interactive as possible, relying heavily on the adults and high schoolers present at the community center to help facilitate. Since Manlove’s communication with the students is virtual, the facilitators repeat instructions and demonstrate as well.

“It’s been really rewarding for me to see these teachers who are in the community and have deep relationships with these singers and their families, who are also encouraging them to sing and to move—not as gimmicky things, but as a means of building community and building memory together and 12 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

sharing and culture,” said Manlove. The facilitators also help build the children’s confidence, said TGC artistic and executive director Marcela Molina. “These kids sometimes are so shy, they need somebody that looks like them, just doing it, you know.

So that makes a big difference.”

Surry Arts Council, based in North Carolina, used the Music Education Partnership Grant money to create oppor-

©T EDDY N GKAION

Building Community and Cultural Learning through Group Singing

tunities for students from three different schools to sing together. This project incorporated a variety of non-musical bonding activities that allowed the students to feel comfortable with each other.

“First month we met up, I couldn’t get them to talk. They were super shy,” said Surrey Arts Council artistic director Tyler Matanick. “So the first month, we didn’t even sing—we did some icebreaker games, we had snacks, we got to know each other.

I think we sang for like five minutes, actually. We warmed up just to see what we would sound like to each other.” The students’ level of comfort progressed as they had more interactions. “By the next month that we met, they came in like they’ve been best friends for years,” said Matanick. “And then the third month … we took them over to our movie theater and showed them a free movie. It was more

Vancouver Youth Choir’s Kindred program

of a bonding experience. And then this last month, we were singing the whole time up on the risers. So they’re finally working with each other, singing with each other.” The strategy of incorporating a range of activities into the project got students comfortable with each other, enhancing the entire singing experience.

Building Intergenerational Connections Studies report many benefits to intergenerational singing. A 2016 study, Why Multimodal Literacy Matters, found that it provides a way to build and strengthen bonds with one’s family and participate in meaning-making and identity building between generations, allowing a unique form of intimacy. Many of the 2022–23 grantee organizations incorporated intergenerational singing into their projects to help strengthen bonds within families.

Minneapolis-based choral organization VocalEssence has had an ongoing relationship with Longfellow High School, a school for pregnant or parenting teen students. VocalEssence’s associate artistic director G. Phillip Shoultz, III, holds weekly sessions at the school, working with students to build bonds with their babies through music as well as building their own confidence. He has tried a range of strategies to make the students feel more comfortable opening up and singing, including involving them in choosing the repertoire, using call and response techniques, and promising to bring them ice cream if they could “outsing” him.

“I knew in my heart, many of them are singers,” Shoultz said. “It’s just finding a way in to get them to sing in a group setting and to be comfortable with that self-expression.”

Because so many of the students are bilingual, the repertoire they learn is a mix of English and Spanish songs. Since Shoultz’s Spanish skills are basic, he hired a student to be a translator for him. He noted the importance of building relationships with the students, and how he observed a change in their comfort with singing after a few sessions.

Shoultz initially spends an hour with the entire group, followed by two hours with two different parenting classes doing intergenerational singing and teaching children’s songs and how to move with their babies. In addition to supporting bonds between parents and children, the program has also created opportunities for teachers and students to form new connections that also span generations. Shoultz noted that teachers at the school who are u

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Building Community and Cultural Learning through Group Singing free during sessions come and sing with the students. “It’s helping the students to see their teachers in a different light,” he said.

“But the teachers are learners too. And the end game is that all of us are going to sing together at graduation.”

Bluefield Arts & Revitalization Corporation in Bluefield, West Virginia, has also taken on an intergenerational singing project, although in a very different way.

This organization worked with schools in Mercer County, a rural area with few music opportunities, to provide free after-school singing opportunities to students and their guardians. Brian Tracey who headed this program noted that participation increased during the program year and that some of the families enjoyed the experience so much they asked when they would have the opportunity to perform in public. He reported that a fifth grader who sang with her uncle said that she liked the Music Across the Years program because “I just wanted a chance to sing and make peaceful sounds with others.”

Building Community through Cultural Learning Learning music involves learning about cultural expression, history, and so much more. Many grantee organizations were very intentional about selecting music for their projects that represented an array of cultures and communities so that students would learn about cultures that they would not normally have the opportunity to learn about and would see themselves represented in the music they were learning from traditions beyond mainstream Western choral music. As one survey respondent said “by learning about diverse cultures, students learn about how others live. Their worlds become bigger as they learn about how large our world is. This is very important in building respect and empathy.” Cultural learning helps build stronger communities.

McAuliffe Elementary School in Oceanside, California partnered with hula teacher and kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) Ilima Kam Martinez to bring the students an experience that taught them about Hawaiian culture through music, dance,

14 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

and language. The children learned the art of hula, how to play a range of instruments including the ukulele, and Hawaiian words.

Assistant principal Christine Corrao said that the teaching artist used a lot of Hawaiian language. “She’s taught them in a call and response format. So she’ll tell them to turn around, or to stand up or sit down, and she only uses those Hawaiian commands in order to do it. So there’s actually a lot of language learning that’s taking place too which I think is awesome.” The students loved this approach and parents reported that they were often very excited to show off what they had learned. One parent expressed that their children demonstrated an impressive amount of knowledge about Hawaiian culture and language on a family vacation to Hawai’i.

Grand Vision Foundation provides a program called Roots of Music to fourth graders in the Los Angeles Harbor area, introducing children to a range of musical styles and exploring the history and cultures from which those styles come. They worked with 20 schools during the 2022–23 year, eight of which are supported by Chorus America funding, and reached a large number of students. This program is comprised of three units, each three weeks long: African drumming and singing and African American spirituals, bluegrass and early Americana folk music, and son jarocho, a regional music tradition from the Mexican state of Veracruz. The students are introduced to the musical concepts, shown videos of the group or artist they will be seeing later, and are encouraged to

TGC’s Nicky Manlove works virtually with students from the Tohono O’odham Nation

ask questions of and interact with the teaching artist for each unit. Education manager Sukari Reid-Glenn reported that the teachers had noticed the students’ confidence growing as they progressed through the sessions and that students were very supportive of each other in performances and other sessions.

Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia worked with their partner schools to bring in guest artists to conduct assemblies at the schools. Guest artists for this program included Suzannah Park, an Appalachian ballad singer, Sandra Santos Canizares, a Cuban singing artist, Dr. Kathy Bullock, an expert in gospel music and spirituals, and Nadia Tarnawsky, a Ukrainian singing artist. Ko Cha’ Ta “Seth” Young, the executive director of the Augusta Heritage Center, said that when Bullock visited the schools “it might have

Surrey Arts Council brought students from three different schools together for group singing activities

been the first time that one of our Black students here in this county has seen a mentor that looked like them, that shared their story, so the inclusivity and the cultural exchange has just been very impactful. And it’s not something that is on paper; it’s tangible, and real, and authentic.”

Bullock also taught the students about the history of slavery and coded language in spirituals when teaching them songs such as “This Little Light of Mine.”

Young reported that students responded very enthusiastically to learning songs in other languages. Sandra Santos Canizares taught the children a chant that children in Cuba used to pick others to be ‘it’ in a game of tag, using a common childhood reference to connect with the children and participate in another cultural and musical moment of play.

Group singing builds community, helps people learn about other cultures and learn about history, and much more. The work these Music Education Partnership Grants grantee organizations did in 2022–23 demonstrates that, while there is no one right way to incorporate these different elements into students’ musical experiences, it is

Augusta Heritage Center’s artistic director Emily Miller working with students at partner schools

important to make choral experiences about more than just the singing. Group singing also allows young people to experience, learn about, and appreciate more of the cultures present in the world they inhabit. n

Ayesha Casie Chetty, PhD, is a mixed-methods social scientist with over 10 years of research experience. She is currently a research and evaluation associate at DCG Communications and a freelance research consultant.

www.chorusamerica.org 15

Gained in Translation:

VARIATIONS ON HANDEL’S MESSIAH In recent years, a growing number of choruses and choral projects have approached Handel’s Messiah through new perspectives, bringing this hallmark of the Western European cannon into dialogue with a more expansive range of traditions and contemporary events.

B Y T H OM A S M AY

G

eorge Frederic Handel needed less than a summer month to compose Messiah.

But the popularity of his 1741 oratorio has lasted for centuries—longer and more consistently, in fact, than just about any other work in the Western canon.

This kind of longevity, however, does not mean that the work has been set in stone. The variety seen with some recent approaches by choral ensembles that seek a contemporary resonance with audiences manifests the extraordinary malleability of Handel’s creation. What links them together is the impulse to bring Messiah into dialogue with non-European traditions and contemporary events.

16 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

These attempts to engage with other communities involve more than translation.

They de-familiarize a cultural artifact that has become routinized through predictable ritual, reawakening a sense of meaning and connection through shifts in perspective.

Historical Precedent There is plenty of historical precedent for reconsidering Handel’s oratorio from new angles that reflect the experiences and expectations of subsequent eras. Take Messiah’s premiere in Vienna in 1789, decades after the composer’s death, when a twofold translation took place: the libretto was recast in Handel’s native German and Mozart fulfilled a commission to “update” the score by rescoring it for a classical

orchestra—in the process introducing greater timbral variety. To mark the bicentennial of Handel’s death in 1959, Sir Thomas Beecham argued that “public taste” had changed so decisively that Messiah required a reupholstered orchestration, for which he enlisted Sir Eugene Aynsley Goossens.

An especially delightful example from the end of the 20th century foreshadowed today’s readiness to defy genre barriers.

Released in 1992, Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration drew on a spectrum of African American vernacular idioms to render the oratorio as a gospel masterpiece.

“That was my introduction to Messiah,” recalls the countertenor Reginald Mobley, who serves as a programming consultant for the Handel and Haydn Society; he was also among the soloists in the Society’s acclaimed broadcast production during the pandemic, Messiah for Our Time.

Experiencing Messiah via the music he had grown up with—gospel, jazz, R&B— “not only pulled me into this world of Baroque and classical music but brought me in with an automatic understanding that my background and where I come from were included as a package deal,” Mobley says.

“It’s what set me on the course of pursuing and performing music the way I do now as an early musician.”

A performance of Border CrosSing’s El Mesías

Crossing Borders with El Mesías A desire to forge connections between the Latin American music he knew growing up and his experiences on the concert stage in the Twin Cities is what inspired the Saint Paul-based Ahmed Anzaldúa to found Border CrosSing in 2017. A Mexican immigrant whose mother came from Egypt, the conductor and pianist envisions Border CrosSing as an organization “to bridge gaps in the mainstream choral repertoire and create concert programs and projects that better reflect who we are and the landscape around us—its diversities and how many stories it contains.”

El Mesías, a regular part of Border CrosSing’s repertoire since its inaugural season, exemplifies this mission. It interweaves the nativity-centered first part of Messiah along with the “Hallelujah”

Chorus with Argentine composer Ariel Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra, a work that has become especially beloved as a Christmas cantata in Latin America. Small adjustments to the musicians available are made with each revival—not unlike Handel’s own practice when presenting the oratorio in London following its Dublin premiere.

In 2022 the ensemble joined with the Minnesota Orchestra to perform the work at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Anzaldúa himself prepared the libretto for El Mesías by combining the original English Charles Jennens assembled from the King James Bible with texts he culled from nearly two dozen editions of the Bible in Spanish. These he interlaced with choral selections from Ramírez’s Navidad Nuestra, connecting the two works with “little bridges” and matching keys “so it sounds like one big piece.” Even the instrumentation between the two works is integrated, such as an accordion used in lieu of organ for the basso continuo. Small adjustments

taking account of the musicians available are made with each revival—not unlike Handel’s own practice when presenting the oratorio in London following its Dublin premiere. In 2022 the ensemble joined with the Minnesota Orchestra to perform the work at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

Anzaldúa, who also cites A Soulful Celebration as one of the inspirations for El Mesías, says the piece has been embraced by the Latin American community in the Twin Cities: so much so that El Mesías has already become a tradition on the west side of Saint Paul, a neighborhood largely comprising Central American and Mexican immigrants.

“The different segmentations or bridges add a layer of the unexpected that that gets you to pay attention in ways that you don’t usually pay attention,” according to Anzaldúa. “That translates into a larger context of paying attention to things that we take for granted that are actually just the cultural default.” u

www.chorusamerica.org 17

Variations on Handel’s Messiah Another translation drawing on Latin American experience is the Bach Collegium San Diego (BCSD)’s El Mesías: Messiah for a New World. “Because Handel was an immigrant, this piece is ripe for an approach like this,” observes Ruben Valenzuela, BCSD’s artistic director. He recalls being awed by the few choruses from Messiah he would hear every December in the Spanish-speaking churches in which he grew up. Only later did he realize that they had been written as part of an iconic work in English.

Valenzuela founded BCSD in 2003, and the ensemble eventually began a pattern

of performing Messiah every year starting around 2013 since no other early music ensemble in the area was doing it: “I felt that we had to fill the void. But we made it our task that every year we were going to put a different spin on it”—such as working through all of the alternate arias Handel had created during his own revivals of the work.

During the pandemic, Valenzuela came full circle to his first experience with Messiah in Spanish and commissioned Mario Montenegro, artistic director of the Vocal Ensemble of the Tijuana Cultural Center, to translate the entire oratorio.

Unlike the Twin Cities El Mesías, BCSD’s Messiah for a New World presents all three

Messiah keeps drawing audiences back in part “because its architecture is incredibly universal: the meta story of the joy that comes with new beginnings … and that eventually ends with death and the infinite loop that engages in that.”

– Jace Kaholokula Saplan

18 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

parts in Spanish (with a few cuts). The change of language has not required BCSD to adjust its historically informed style, he adds, aside from a couple of spots “where the orchestra has made a concession to match some syllable differentiation on the chorus side.”

Valenzuela led BCSD in the premiere in March 2022 and guest conducted it later that year in New York with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, along with students from largely Spanish-speaking backgrounds. He was moved to observe how experiencing Messiah in the mother tongue “as something living and breathing” made a powerful impact on their families “who in many cases spoke no English.”

This December, along with performances of Messiah in both English and Spanish in San Diego, BCSD will bring their Spanish version to Tijuana as part of a celebration of binational relations between the U.S. and Mexico. Because of the high level of interest in performing this Spanish-language edition, Valenzuela says, his ensemble is arranging to publish the score and release a recording.

For the choral thought leader Jace Kaholokula Saplan, Handel’s Messiah provides fertile ground for exploring ways to engage with diverse communities outside the Western tradition in which it originated.

“As a native Hawaiian culturalist and as a classical choral music conductor, I always code switch between two worlds,” says Saplan, who directs choirs in Hawai’i as well as at Arizona State University, where Saplan is an associate professor. In part because of the central role Handel requires of the choral ensemble throughout Messiah, Saplan points out, the work can be approached “as a profound act of honoring the language of community.”

Saplan developed a translation of Messiah into the native Hawaiian language as a vehicle to show “how classical music can be accessible and relevant to our neighborhoods. The result is Messiah i ka ’Ōlelo Hawai’i, which premiered in 2022 with the Hawai’i Nui Chorale and the Nā Wai Chamber Choir, an ensemble Saplan founded in 2009 for “the preservation, propagation, and innovation of Hawaiian choral u

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Ruben Valenzuela conducting the Bach Collegium San Diego

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CO U RTESY O F G BH

Variations on Handel’s Messiah music.” Nā Wai signifies “the many waters that sustain our community.”

How can rehearsing and performing a work from the center of the Western canon benefit a multicultural community? Saplan explains that the Hawaiian language “has always been a catalyst for connections once we got into contact with Western traditions.” Translation of a work like Messiah therefore means an all-encompassing recontextualization that takes account of “our sense of belonging and our sense of how we commune with our ancestors.”

Linguistically, Saplan’s translation integrates the more formalized style known as kaona, which refers to layers of meaning hidden beneath the surface, with the contemporary spoken Hawaiian used for the recitatives and solos. Saplan compares the choral movements to the perspective of “a grandmother who is constantly reaffirming the narrative,” adding that to situate this piece within the family structure “is an indigenous thing to do.”

Saplan based Messiah i ka ’Ōlelo Hawai’i on the Bärenreiter edition, using its instrumentation for the most part (performed at 20 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

the premiere by members of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra). But there are also moments that call for various drums (pa’u and the ipu, a large, double-headed gourd drum). These are used, for example, at certain points in recitatives “because those particular rhythmic instruments also tether a native Hawaiian community to what emotions they should be experiencing— like when a live audience at a sitcom is told when to applaud and when to laugh.”

Particular beats are associated with various deities that respectively evoke the appropriate feelings of joy, reverence, or even caution.

The “Hallelujah” Chorus, which is performed with the Christmas portion, involves hula dance “so that we could reclaim our understanding of Christian texts through our bodies and through our generational knowledge” and neutralize the “cultural trauma of missionaries who shamed native Hawaiians away from this dance.”

Saplan views the entire project as illuminating how “these indigenous ways of musicking allow the audience to experience a cultural context outside their periphery.”

Saplan plans to continue with translations of Parts Two and Three over the next five years and, in the spring, will add Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater to the ensemble’s repertoire

CO U RTESY O F G BH

Video stills from Messiah for Our Time. Inset: Reginald Mobley was among the soloists.

“to weave in the tradition of Hawaiian ways of expressing grief and rituals around funeral and death.”

Coming to Terms with New Realities Translation can even take place while performing Messiah in English: translation, that is, to address a drastically altered reality, as the Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) did in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic with its Messiah for Our Time broadcast (available on YouTube).

The Boston-based organization, which premiered the complete oratorio in the U.S. in 1818, has given Messiah regularly every year since 1854—nowadays attracting some 6,000 concertgoers to its performances. It was suddenly faced with the prospect of having to remain silent in 2020. More than

a matter of foregoing a beloved tradition, that prospect symbolized the existential crisis the pandemic posed to choral music—and to the performing arts in general.

“We wanted to give a gift to the community,” says David Snead, H+H president and CEO. “We knew that this piece, which is about hope, would be perfect for this point in time.” So they found a way, in the face of the strict limitations in place at the time, to partner with the GBH media company to record Part 1 of Messiah plus the “Hallelujah” Chorus for broadcast.

“The idea was to make Messiah contemporary, to connect the music and the story with what was going on,” says Snead. “GBH had videographers go out and shoot video of first responders, medical doctors and nurses, patients, the city in general being shut down at that time.” The broadcast intercut and blended the footage with Handel’s music, which had been recorded in separate sessions for the choruses, soloists, and orchestral parts.

For Snead, the experience challenged the image many have of Messiah as “this warhorse that is done every year” and reinforced why we keep coming back to Handel’s work (which stands apart within his oeuvre for reasons in addition to its enormous popularity). “It’s a masterpiece of dramatic storytelling and music that connects. You can get the story elsewhere.

But you can’t get that music elsewhere.”

Messiah for Our Time was not a one-off but actually part of another H+H tradition of responding to national political and social changes. Members of the Society performed the “Hallelujah” Chorus and other works at the first Emancipation Proclamation celebration in Boston on New Year’s Day in 1863.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 and the soul searching it prompted among those in the performing arts about systemic racism, H+H grappled with the issue of Handel’s relationship to profits made from the slave trade. The Society consulted with Reginald Mobley and Anthony Trecek-King, H+H resident conductor and host for Messiah for Our Time (as well as a member of the Chorus America Board of Directors) to devise the program Crossing the Deep, an immersive concert experience that juxtaposes music from Handel’s Chandos Anthems with spirituals that were being created at the time by enslaved Africans in America.

“One of the conclusions we came to,” Mobley says, “is that the music of Messiah has been a companion to so many people for so long that it’s not just for White people of European descent. It has also been a part of u

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our culture in ways that we really haven’t fully studied.” In this way, Mobley suggests that a simplistic rejection of Handel and Messiah motivated by a contemporary understanding of social justice does not solve the problem. “One of the conclusions we came to is that we need to do a good job of separating the work from the musician or the artist,” he observes. “Because Handel is dead and we are not.”

Indigenous Identities Responding to the pandemic and an urge to promote greater mindfulness of diversity and inclusion both converged in Messiah/ Complex, an 80-minute film version of the oratorio created by the experimental, Toronto-based theater company Against the Grain (AtG) in collaboration with the Toronto Symphony and a consortium of Canadian choruses. “Something clicked around this magical moment of where we all were, feeling isolated in winter and at Christmas yet somehow connected through

©LIZ LINDER

Variations on Handel’s Messiah

“The music of Messiah has been a companion to so many people for so long that it’s not just for white people of European descent. It has also been a part of our culture in ways that we really haven’t fully studied.”

– Reginald Mobley

music and film,” recalls the company’s founder and artistic director Joel Ivany, who co-directed Messiah/Complex with Reneltta Arluk.

The concept underlying Messiah/ Complex is to celebrate diversity through a mosaic of soloists respectively representing each Canadian province and territory and singing in a total of six languages, three of which are First Nations (Dene, Inuktitut, and Southern Tutchone, from among the country’s 70 different indigenous languages); the others are Arabic, English, and French.

The singers were additionally invited to suggest how best to represent their identities through imagery from natural settings for the filming.

Emphasizing the angle of the climate crisis in his segment from Alberta, the Cree-Métis baritone Jonathon Adams told The New York Times that participating in this interpretation of Messiah flipped the script of European colonization: “It’s a takeover of a Eurocentric white art form.

Indigenous artists occupying the piece is powerful and radical.”

The soprano Deantha Edmunds offers another perspective. She contributed “How Beautiful Are the Feet” from Part 2 in her native Nunatsiavut (the language of her ancestral Labrador homeland). The first and only Inuk professional classical singer, Edmunds explains that “the Labrador Indians have an incredibly unique and rich

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A still of Deantha Edmunds from Messiah/Complex

music history” that is layered by influences from Moravian missionaries who settled on the North Coast some 250 years ago, bringing with them handwritten scores of European classical music. She points out that being invited to participate in Messiah/ Complex actually meant continuing an old tradition, since “Inuit were singing music

from Handel’s Messiah in Inuttitut hundreds of years ago here in Labrador.”

“Beautiful feet” conjured the image of caribou tracks “setting the path for humans to follow” for Edmunds, who asked a respected elder from the community to translate the aria. “I feel very different when I think in the language. Any chance to be

on the ancestral land of my people and to sing in Inuktitut is deeply meaningful.” She adds that “hearing different interpretations of Messiah in different languages is a huge part of truth and reconciliation.”

Written almost three centuries ago for a context that has long since become alien, Handel’s Messiah keeps drawing audiences back. Jace Saplan believes this is in part “because its architecture is incredibly universal: the meta story of the joy that comes with new beginnings, or, in this case, the birth of Christ, and that eventually ends with death and the infinite loop that engages in that.”

This cyclical understanding of life, a universal theme, is shared by the many other variations on Handel’s Messiah. It reaches back to the very origins of human consciousness but, with its ultimate message of hope, feels desperately needed in our time. n Thomas May is a writer, critic, educator, and translator whose work appears in the New York Times, the Seattle Times, Gramophone, and many other publications. The Englishlanguage editor for the Lucerne Festival, he also writes program notes for Boulez Saal in Berlin and the Ojai Festival in California.

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The Marketing Funnel for Choruses

If you were to take any Marketing 101 class, you would quickly be introduced to the marketing funnel. The marketing funnel is an illustration of the consumer’s journey with your organization, starting with a general awareness of your organization all the way through becoming your closest and most loyal supporter.

Marketing can then be summarized with a simple goal: get people into your marketing funnel and move them to the next level of support as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most organizations segment the marketing funnel into four levels.

Applying Big Marketing Ideas to Your Chorus While big-picture marketing concepts can feel overwhelming initially, understanding how they apply to your chorus will help structure your marketing efforts and reach more people.

BY STEPHANIE HELLECKSON

A

t the Chorus America Conference in June 2023, many of my between-session conversations with colleagues focused on how audience attendance and member participation had shifted post-pandemic.

While a few organizations had experienced an increase in attendance and participation since 2019, I was surprised by the number of organizations that were discussing reductions in audience and singer numbers over the past four years, numbers that aren’t rebounding even as the risks of Covid fade.

When probed about why they thought this was, these same colleagues listed a variety of understandable factors. Singers are still worried about contracting Covid in a choral environment.

Audience members have become accustomed to getting their entertainment online. The economic impact of Covid is still strong in many communities, affecting both the ability to pay membership dues and buy tickets to performances. And generally, many people have restructured their lives in ways that no longer include choruses the way they did in the past. Many of these issues weren’t unique to the pandemic but have been accelerated by the pandemic’s intensive disruption to our modus operandi and choral singing’s forced hiatus from our lives.

During further discussion, I also heard a great deal of interest in exploring marketing as a potential solution to these woes. Marketing is an extremely powerful tool in the face of declining attendance and participation, but marketing can also be extremely overwhelming: an entire field of jargon and rapidly changing models that can consume broad swathes of time and energy when we’re all a little short on both of those resources. So how can we harness the power of marketing in our favor without burning ourselves out or needing to hire a whole new department?

Step 1: Awareness

Building awareness is the first step to successful audience and membership development. The most obvious question to ask here is: “How do people hear about us?”

Think about where people who might be interested in your chorus get their information. Depending on your community, this might mean social media, posters, newspaper ads, or word of mouth. In some cases, this means thinking outside the box: Would it be effective to do a flash mob in a community adjacent to your choir, or put branded stickers on the takeout boxes of your favorite neighborhood restaurant? Get your chorus members involved in this right up front by asking them to use their social media accounts and personal and professional connections to get the word out.

But what exactly is the word you’re getting out? This is the more complex part of awareness because it involves defining your product. For most businesses, their products are a very clearly defined set of goods or services that the company sells to turn a profit. For a chorus, products can be more difficult to define.

We can start with the obvious product. The music we make in the form of concerts or recordings is a quantifiable commodity that we can put a price on, similar to many products in the for-profit marketing world. But music isn’t our only product, and most of us aren’t solely in the business of creating the objectively best commercial performances or recordings. To find our true product, we u

THE MARKETING FUNNEL Awareness

How do people hear about you?

What are your products? Who are they for?

Consideration

How do they compare to similar products?

How much do they cost?

SWOT Model

Conversion

Where and how can your products be purchased?

Loyalty

Why should patrons keep coming back?

www.chorusamerica.org 25

Step 2: Consideration

have to drill down into the “why” of what we’re doing. If you haven’t watched Simon Sinek’s TED talk “Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” this would be a great point to pause and watch that.

If we explore why choruses exist as ongoing organizations instead of one-time recordings, it becomes clear that we are in the business of creating experiences.

Looking at Meow Wolf, immersive art displays, and music festivals, it’s also clear that art experiences are a hot commodity right now. Interestingly, it’s often our singers for whom we’re creating the most carefully crafted experiences; as we have all become acutely aware during the pandemic, you can’t get the experience of singing in a chorus on your own. But the experience of an audience member enjoying a performance with a friend, a donor supporting an organization that is close to their heart, or even a local business purchasing an ad in a concert program that generates an additional sale or two are products we can create and market.

Even deeper than creating experiences, however, lies our role as incubators of human connection. This is by far our best and strongest product, because connection is a commodity which the entire world has developed a whetted appetite for coming out of the last several years. In this market, we can outcompete almost any other product in existence today. Authentic human connection is our core principle, the one that keeps our singers and audience members coming back.

Your chorus might focus on a specific kind of connection or on fostering connections within a specific group. Whether that’s children connecting across class and racial divides in your community, or homeless adults finding self-worth in their mutual creation, or your 100% White choir seeking to understand people from other cultures through their music, or an audience member watching a good friend overcome a fear of being onstage, singing together creates community and makes people feel less alone. Once you know who you’re trying to connect with, it becomes easier to understand where you will reach those people and how to market your choir to them. It also becomes an easier sell; who doesn’t want to experience deep, authentic connection with their fellow humans?

26 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

After you’ve reached potential buyers with a message that defines your product’s value, they enter a period of consideration before committing to invest in that product. This period can be anything from a few seconds to years. In the end, they are considering both the cost of your product and how your product compares to similar products available to them.

The first of these considerations is a bit easier to manage. You likely already know where the cost breaking points are in your community and at what dollar amount your product moves from being underpriced to overpriced. If you don’t know this yet, ask a variety of friends and community members how they would price your product. You’ll quickly see a range emerge where people feel confident that they’re getting enough value for their money. You can also compare your prices to similar products being offered in your area, such as other choruses, social groups, concerts, art experiences, etc.

• As you embark on this analysis, we arrive at the second basic marketing tool everyone should know about, the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for: • Strengths: the things your organization does well compared to similar organizations • Weaknesses: the things your organization doesn’t do as well as similar organizations • Opportunities: elements in your situation or environment that create spaces for you to be successful, including spaces where other organizations aren’t actively using resources • Threats: elements of your situation or environment which threaten your success, including any direct competition for resources Obviously, other choruses and performing arts organizations in your community are a good place to start for this analysis. But you might want to consider organizations and activities a bit further afield; community events, movies, online entertainment, and sports are other good places to look for information for your SWOT analysis.

Assessing other local organizations with similar products can also lead to insights about how you fit into the fabric of your community and where your opportunities for improvement and growth lie.

When potential buyers are considering investing in your chorus, it’s important to recognize that the sheer number of touch-

points comes into play to a certain extent.

On average, potential consumers need eight unique interactions with a product or brand before they make a purchase. For a chorus, these touchpoints can be anything recognizably tied to your organization, including reading a poster, hearing a radio ad, seeing a Facebook ad, etc.

Note that eight interactions is the average—some people will take more convincing, which means you need to be putting out many more than eight potential touchpoints in order for the average person to see at least eight. This is where having a set of brand guidelines can help immensely. If each of your posters for any entire season of concerts has the same logo, general layout, colors, and style, each poster will count as another touchpoint for your brand, even though the posters are advertising different concerts.

Brand guidelines are very easy to develop and can be collected in a one- or two-page document. Your brand standards should include your logo, preferred fonts, brand colors, any usage specifics (“Always spell out the chorus’s name. Never abbreviate.”), details about language to be used (“We use language that is inclusive and positive.” or “We avoid the use of the word ‘festival’ when describing our chorus.”), and any preferences for the kinds of images used (“Photos used in marketing always include pictures of people with their faces visible having fun.”).

Step 3: Conversion

Once your buyers have committed to investing in one of your products, your primary task must be to make it as easy as possible for them to purchase that product.

Whether online, over the phone, or in person, making your purchasing process simple and straightforward is crucial to converting their interest and commitment into a transaction.

For this step, think again of who you’re trying to connect with and how they make purchases. Online ticketing is great for the technologically savvy among us, but online ticketing processes with more than ten clicks are likely to frustrate older and younger patrons alike. Some demographics like to text, while others prefer email or phone calls. Venmo is ideal for some, but suspiciously unregulated for others. Paying dues through an app only works if everyone in the chorus has a phone to download the app and knows how to run the app themselves.

Thinking through how your buyers shop can

help map out the best way to facilitate their investment in your organization.

If you use your website as a primary channel for ticket sales or donations, Google Analytics is a powerful tool for understanding how and why people are or aren’t buying your products, and where in your purchasing flow they’re getting stuck. A little training here goes a long way, and setting up your online systems to track how customers journey through your sales process can give you great insight into what is preventing or encouraging conversion.

The Google Analytics Academy is a great place to start.

There can also be other barriers to conversion in your marketing funnel. Transportation, childcare, personal safety, and hundreds of other factors can prevent an interested person from becoming an invested patron. While you will never be able to resolve every potential issue for every individual, it’s worth looking at ways to solve problems that come up frequently. If many of your community members are not comfortable inside a certain church, can you change your venue? Is there a bus stop or other public transportation near your performance location? Can you provide childcare (or better yet a children’s chorus) during adult choir rehearsals?

Step 4: Loyalty

Once your patrons have been to one or more of your concerts or your members have sung for a season, the final stage of the marketing funnel is to keep them coming back for more. For your most loyal supporters, you may even want to turn them into brand ambassadors to get other potential patrons and members involved.

This can be difficult because everyone wants attendees who have concerts marked on their calendars months in advance, singers who reliably participate year after year, and volunteers who are willing to help whenever asked.

The trick to this kind of brand loyalty is consistent investment in individual relationships, which takes vast amounts of time and energy to do well. As nonprofits, we’re often overextended and unable to devote the resources needed to this important final step. So here are a few quick ideas to help build loyalty without burning out your staff or board: • Thank you notes: At each board meeting, have your board members sign thank you notes for any major donors or patrons who have made contributions since the previous board meeting. This assembly line of signatures takes only a few minutes but stands out to the people you’re thanking. If you have a major sponsor, consider having the entire u

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chorus sign something at a rehearsal to be presented to the sponsor.

• Program thank you messages: Make sure your donors and patrons are being thanked in your programs (and on other marketing materials as well if applicable).

• Post-concert surveys: Post-concert surveys make everyone feel like their voice is valid and welcome at the table. Plus, post-concert surveys can give you a much better understanding of what is and isn’t working for each concert. Just be careful to keep the number of questions low (around five is a good goal) and include plenty of space for written-in comments, which are often more useful than the answers to your carefully constructed survey questions.

• Maintain connections between concerts: Whether it’s sending an email newsletter or inviting your audience to an open rehearsal or community cook-out, do something in between concerts to reconnect with your attendees, donors, and members, particularly if you have large gaps in your season. These activities keep your chorus

28 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

front-of-mind for potential consumers and add to the number of touchpoints you have with your community.

• Curate a culture: Extend the character and culture of your chorus into your marketing and community interactions. Social media platforms work well here; developing a chorus hashtag for your members to use when they post to Facebook or Instagram about rehearsals or performances is a great place to start.

• Pull out the chair: Create direct pathways for your attendees, members, and donors to become more involved, then invite individual people to step into a new role. A new member can easily become a snack captain for one rehearsal, or a multiyear volunteer might be interested in a board or committee position. Pull out the chair for the person and explain why you believe their help in the new role will be great for the organization.

There isn’t one right way to build loyalty since it’s highly dependent on the individual relationships being formed. It’s ok—and even healthy—to spread out the maintenance of these relationships among several people, including board and committee members,

volunteers, and choir members themselves.

Obviously, you won’t be able to implement an entirely new marketing strategy overnight. So start small: Plan a conversation about your organization’s “Why?” for your next board meeting, send one thank-you note, add one touchpoint for your next concert, or watch a YouTube tutorial on Google Analytics. Start small and grow your efforts over time as these new ideas become integrated into your organization’s structure. Marketing relies on consistency. If you pace yourself by taking small, sustainable steps, you will be able to harness the power of marketing to address audience and membership building without becoming overwhelmed. n With 14 years of experience in arts administration, choral conducting, and music education, Stephanie Helleckson approaches creating community music making opportunities from many angles. She is currently Program Manager for the Crested Butte Center for the Arts, Director of the North Fork Community Choir, and Vice President of the Valley Symphony Association, all located in western Colorado.

Visit shelleckson.com to download her “Applying Big Marketing Ideas to Your Chorus” packet.

C H O R U S

A M E R I C A

Chorus America is honored to receive support each year from hundreds of generous individuals, organizations, businesses, foundations, and the U.S. government. Each gift represents the depth and breadth of our membership, our geographic reach, and the myriad entities that work with, for, and within the choral field. Below you will find an alphabetical listing of each generous donor and partner, as well as special recognition lists that highlight Chorus America’s giving communities and unique funding opportunities. Chorus America recognizes with appreciation all those who contributed essential support for our programs that benefit choruses everywhere between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023.

Matthew Abernathy ACFEA Tour Consultants Priscilla and John Adams Amanda Adams-Barney Laura Adlers❖ John A. Alexander* Sean Ambrose Linda and Michael Anderson Hilary Apfelstadt* Anton E. Armstrong❖ Hannah Armstrong Mauna Arnzen Susan Astington Atlanta Master Chorale Mary Ann Aufderheide Lynne Babcock Ann Meier Baker and Robert Baker Eric Banks Carol Barnett Jamie and Jeff Barnett❖ Amanda Bauman Dodie and Wayne Bauman Nicole Belmont Christina Benson Martín Benvenuto Charles Berardesco❖ and Jeffrey Thurston Karl Berg

Berkshire Choral International in honor of KellyAnn Nelson Marshall Bessieres Stephen M. Black Alexander Lloyd Blake Jude Blum Mimi Bornstein Watson Bosler Judy Bowers David Bowles Paul Boykas Ryan Brandau Margot Brauchli Jeffrey Brillhart Marguerite L. Brooks Andrew Brown Martha W. Brown Gwen Brubaker Carolyn and Philip Brunelle* Elizabeth Buccheri Marie Bucoy-Calavan❖ Ian Bullen Mary Louise Burke Betsy Burleigh Dashon Burton❖ The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Paul Caldwell*

Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies Bruce Carlson Jim Carlson Lesley Carter Charlie Cerf Chanticleer Cass Chatfield Gregory Cheng Choral Arts Ensemble of Rochester Choral Arts Society of Washington Lillie Ann Claitt Gary, Johnny, Sandy, Susie, Bill, and Linda Laurie Clarks, Tingles, and Kebers in memory of Marilyn Woodard Jan Elise Clayton Brian Clissold Rick Coffey* Colburn Foundation Don Coleman Linda Sharon Coleman

Jennifer Collins Fran Collmann Colorado Children’s Chorale Columbia Pro Cantare LTD Jayne Milligan Conrad Tom Cooke Megan and Robert Cooper* Brigid Coult Martha Cox Matthew Culloton Claudia Dakkouri Janie Darone Kaneez Munjee and Hugh Davies* Mary Ann de Barbieri Debra Defotis Catherine Dehoney and William Hill Mary Deissler* Melanie DeMore Iris Derke❖ Glenn DeSandre Debbie B. Desantis u

Chair’s Circle The following individuals, foundations, corporate partners, member organizations, and the U.S. Government contributed gifts of $5,000 or more to support the work of Chorus America. We share our special appreciation and highlight their generous support that uplifts the entire choral community.

ACFEA Tour Consultants John A. Alexander* Jamie and Jeff Barnett❖ Charles Berardesco❖ and Jeffrey Thurston Berkshire Choral International The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies Chanticleer Choral Arts Society of Washington Colburn Foundation Catherine Dehoney and William Hill Mary Deissler* Rollo Dilworth❖ Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Joy* and Chester Douglass Todd Estabrook*

John C. Griswold Family Foundation George Frederick Jewett Foundation East Anne B. Keiser❖ Kiplinger Foundation ECS Publishing Lori and John Loftus Mary A. Lyons* May Festival Chorus Kay McCarthy National Endowment for the Arts John Nuechterlein❖ Gayle* and Tim Ober Dianne Peterson❖ Popplestone Foundation VocalEssence Duain Wolfe❖

* = former board member, ❖ = current board member, + = deceased

www.chorusamerica.org 29

Rollo Dilworth❖ Dominick DiOrio III❖ Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Joy* and Chester Douglass Coreen Sylvia Duffy Donald Dumpson Susan G. Duncan* Terry Dwyer KellyAnn Nelson and Christopher Eanes Michael Eanes John G. Earls❖ ECS Publishing in honor of Bob and Cynthia Schuneman Morna Edmundson* Ellie and Tom Elkinton Brandon Elliott Kate A. Emerich Carol A. Emig Linda Enger Anne Erps Todd Estabrook* Kristen L. Fallon Floyd Farmer*+ Paul David Farwig Corty Fengler* Laura Fischer Rachel Flamm Sheridan Foster Cheryl Frazes Hill Erin R. Freeman Allison Fromm Justin Fyala and Rich Fowler Erin Gabriel John H. Gale Flo Gardner Joyce Garrett* Sharon Ruth Gayley Robert Geary Grant Gershon* Jenifer and Marshall Gile Lori C. Gill Daniela Golden Mary Gordon Kathleen B. Grammer Matt Greenberg Barbara W. Greene Joan Gregoryk John C. Griswold Family Foundation Erin Haar Sarah Hall Kristie Halverson Mark Hanke Matthew C. Harden Jeannette Hargroves Alan Harler* Holly Hawthorne

30 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

Julie Haydon David M. Hayes❖ Anne Heider* Hollie Heller Emily Henriksen Wendy Henry-Moraskie Kathleen G. Henschel Barbara Heroux Douglas Hesse in honor of Duain Wolfe David Leslie Highbaugh Megan E. Higle Shayla A. Hines Renae Hittle Greg Hobbs Robert H. Holmes Kay Holt Ralph M. Hooper Kaia Hoopes Don H. Horisberger Donald Hume Leonard Hunt Lisa Husseini Robert Istad❖ Joshua Jacobson Ellen D. Janasko Hussein Janmohamed Patricia Jennerjohn George Frederick Jewett Foundation East Candace Johnson Craig Hella Johnson❖ David M. Jones John Jones Cathleen Josaitis Arthur Kaemmer Tim Keeler Anne B. Keiser❖ KI Concerts Wes Kim Corey Kinger Kiplinger Foundation Terry Knowles* and Marshall Rutter* Shohei Kobayashi Camille Kolles* Diane Koshi Kevin Kriegel Josh Krugman Martha Kunau Anita Kupriss Marina Kushnir Robyn❖ and Tim Lana Mary and Bill Langsdorf Leanne Magnuson Latuda Mark W. Lawson❖ Andrea F. LeBaron Alysia Lee❖ Danielle Lees Diana J. Leland Casey Leones

Ingrid Lestrud Iris and Lesili Beard Levine Jacob Levine Lolly Lewis Hsiao-Ling Lin Thomas Lloyd Lori and John Loftus Mr. and Mrs. James Look Cheryl Lower Mary A. Lyons* Taylor Martin Jameson N. Marvin Match My Sound Mary Doughty Mauch❖ Lulu Maxfield May Festival Chorus Kay McCarthy Michael Dominic McCarthy Carol W. McCormick Barbara McFarquhar Susan McMane Ann P. McNair Susan McWaters Mitch Menchaca Nancy L. Menk Marcela Molina❖ Amy and Marty L. Monson Alfred P. Moore Emma and Patrick Moores David Morales David Morrow❖ Brian Moul Linda Moxley* Wendy K. Moy Lucas Myers National Endowment for the Arts Steve Neiffer❖ Frank Nemhauser New York City Master Chorale Brian Newhouse* Robin Noonan-Price Joseph Nuccio John Nuechterlein❖ Elizabeth❖ and Francisco Núñez* Gayle* and Tim Ober in celebration of Mike McCarthy October Project Mark W. Ohnmacht Eric Oliver❖ Jeannette O’Nana Franco Ordoñez Matthew Otto Richard A. Pace Jefferson Packer Deborah* and Jamshed Patel Kyle Pederson Performing Arts Readiness/ LYRASIS Robin L. Perry Catherine Peterson* Dianne Peterson❖ Vince Peterson Allan Petker

Peter Platt Molly Pontin❖ Popplestone Foundation Marilyn Pryor Ken Quarles Andrea Ramsey❖ Susan Erburu Reardon* and George Reardon George Reiss Diane Retallack Mary and David Richards Dail Richie Meredith Ann Riekse Lori Marie Rios Earl Rivers* Mona Jones Roberts Eugene Rogers❖ Kathy Saltzman Romey, Minnesota Chorale Lori Ropa Dennis Rossow Katie and Jim Rowan in honor of Mike Rowan Mike Rowan Kathi Rudolph Dean Rust Peter Rutenberg Ronald L. Ruth Sacramento Master Singers Diana Sáez❖ Catherine Sailer Valerie Sainte-Agathe Alisa and Ryan Saunders Jonathan Saxton Suzanne R. Schaeffer Jan C. Schimmel Nancy Schultz David W. Schwarz Emma Seeley Pearl Shangkuan* Timothy Shantz Mark Shapiro Elena Sharkova Jane Shepherd G. Phillip Shoultz Charlotte Sibley Kate Sibley Geoffrey Silver Marianna and Robert Simpson* Russ Skillings Katie Skovholt Roberta Sladovnik Jan Smith Steven Smith❖ Kyle Dara Sofman Magen Solomon A. Dennis Sparger Eric Stark Jacob Stensberg Kara M. Stolle Jan G. Strand Frank Stubbs* and Tom Lee Barbara M. Tagg*

Judith Tate Ann Temkin Carrie Michelle Tennant The Washington Chorus Cindy Theodore Karen P. Thomas❖ Hannis W. Thompson Jesse Thrall Jeffery R. Thyer Ryan Tibbetts Marjie and Gary Toops Gale A. Townsley Susan Music Trask Anthony Trecek-King❖ Kent Tritle Gretchen M. Upholt Matthew Valverde Christopher Verdugo Pat Virtue VocalEssence Susan Von Roedern Keith H. Walker Marcia Walker Benita Wandel Carol Kozak Ward in memory of Felix Kozak Dale Warland* Jon Washburn* Anne Watson-Born Mahcaiyah Wearing Lydia Weiss

Wendy D. White Chuck Wild Arlene Williams* Jenni Marty Wilson Laub Rebecca Wink Duain Wolfe❖ Holly Wolff Michael Wu Karen Wuertz John Yankee Kenneth Alton Zimmerman Joan Zisler

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

Carolyn and Philip Brunelle* Rick Coffey* Kaneez Munjee and Hugh Davies* Mary Deissler* Dominick DiOrio III* Susan G. Duncan*

Joyce Garrett* Grant Gershon* Alan Harler* Anne Heider* Terry Knowles* and Marshall Rutter* Mary A. Lyons* Gayle* and Tim Ober Alice Parker* Leonard Ratzlaff* Earl Rivers* Marianna and Robert Simpson* Frank Stubbs* and Tom Lee Barbara M. Tagg* Arlene Williams*

CONTINUO SOCIETY We are pleased to recognize our current 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, i.e., 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 Estabrook* Floyd Farmer*+ Corty* and Alf Fengler Vance George* Louise H. Greenberg*+ Alan Harler* Elfrieda* and Vern Heinrichs Anne B. Keiser❖ Terry Knowles* and Marshall Rutter* Mary* and Phillip Lyons Kay and Mike McCarthy*+ Allison McMillan* Sandy and Jonathan Miller* Trudy Weaver Miller* and John Arthur Miller C. William Moody Jr.*+ Alice Parker* Deborah* and Jamshed Patel Dianne❖ and Frank Peterson Susan Erburu Reardon* and George Reardon Earl Rivers* Rosalind Rees and Gregg Smith*+ Barbara M. Tagg* Arlene Williams* Judith A. Willoughby* u

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1500+ Singers (55+) www.chorusamerica.org 31

Chorus America Officers

Chair Anton Armstrong St. Olaf College (MN) Treasurer Steven Neiffer Los Angeles Master Chorale (CA) Secretary Marie Bucoy-Calavan University of Akron (OH)

Members of the Board

Laura Adlers Management Consultant (ON) Jeffrey Barnett Dorsal Capital Management LLC (CA) Charles Berardesco Baltimore Choral Arts Society (MD) Dashon Burton Professional Singer (NY) Iris Derke Distinguished Concerts International New York (NY) Rollo Dilworth Temple University (PA) John Earls May Festival Chorus; Vocal Arts Ensemble (OH) Maria A. Ellis Educator and Conductor; Girl Conductor LLC (MO) David Hayes New York Choral Society (NY) Robert Istad Pacific Chorale; CSU Fullerton (CA) Craig Hella Johns Conspirare (TX); Vocal Arts Ensemble (OH) Anne B. Keiser Choral Arts Society of Washington (DC) Robyn Reeves Lana Cincinnati Youth Choir (OH) Mark Lawson ECS Publishing Group (MO) Alysia Lee Baltimore Children & Youth Fund; Sister Cities Girlchoir (MD) Mary Doughty Mauch Conductor and Community Organizer (IL) Marcela Molina Tucson Girls Chorus (AZ) David Morrow Morehouse College (GA) John Nuechterlein Community Leader (MN) Elizabeth Núñez Young People’s Chorus of New York City; SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir (NY) Eric V. Oliver Zion Baptist Church; Loretta C. Manggrum Chorale (OH) Dianne Peterson The Washington Chorus; New Orchestra of Washington (DC) Molly Buzick Pontin Pacific Chorale (CA) Andrea Ramsey Composer, Conductor, and Music Educator (MO) Eugene Rogers University of Michigan (MI); The Washington Chorus (DC) Diana Sáez Towson University (MD) Steven F. Smith Berkshire Choral International (MA) Karen P. Thomas Seattle Pro Musica (WA) Anthony Trecek-King Handel and Haydn Society (MA) Jean-Sébastien Vallée Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (ON); McGill University (QC) Duain Wolfe Colorado Symphony Chorus (CO)

32 The Voice, Fall/Winter 2023

DUAIN WOLFE FUND Chorus America is grateful to the following donors whose contributions in 2023 are bringing to life the Duain Wolfe Endowed Fund to support the art of choral-orchestral conducting through Chorus America’s Choral-Orchestral Conducting Academy.

Bruce Carlson Jim Carlson Cass Chatfield Brian Clissold Jayne Milligan Conrad Claudia Dakkouri Janie Darone Debbie B. Desantis Dominick DiOrio III* Terry Dwyer Kate A. Emerich Cheryl Frazes Hill John H. Gale Sharon Ruth Gayley Jenifer and Marshall Gile Lori C. Gill Daniela Golden Wendy Henry-Moraskie Douglas Hesse David Leslie Highbaugh Renae Hittle Greg Hobbs Kaia Hoopes Donald Hume Leonard Hunt Ellen D. Janasko John Jones Shohei Kobayashi Marina Kushnir Andrea F. LeBaron Hsiao-Ling Lin

Mr. and Mrs. James Look Taylor Martin Susan McWaters Lucas Myers Joseph Nuccio Jeannette O’Nana Ken Quarles Lori Ropa Kathi Rudolph Ronald L. Ruth Catherine Sailer Russ Skillings Roberta Sladovnik Judith Tate Hannis W. Thompson Pat Virtue Susan Von Roedern Marcia Walker Benita Wandel Jenni Marty Wilson Laub Duain Wolfe❖ Karen Wuertz Kenneth Alton Zimmerman Joan Zisler

OSTINATO: CHORUS AMERICA’S MONTHLY GIVING COMMUNITY We gratefully acknowledge the members of the Ostinato community who contribute monthly recurring gifts to Chorus America.

Martha Brown Lesley Carter Dominick DiOrio III* Todd Estabrook* Sheridan Foster Justin Fyala and Rich Fowler David M. Hayes❖ Shayla A. Hines Lisa Husseini Marcela Molina❖ David Morales KellyAnn Nelson and Christopher Eanes Frank Nemhauser Duain Wolfe❖

IN-KIND GIFTS Cathedral Choral Society Conspirare Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Rollo Dilworth❖ Robert Geary Lange Twins Family Winery and Vineyards Kay McCarthy Brian Newhouse* Alice Parker* Susan Erburu Reardon* and George Reardon Redmint Spa Diana Sáez❖ Steven Smith❖ Jann Williams Wine & Roses

Susan Astington Mary Ann Aufderheide Dodie and Wayne Bauman Alexander Lloyd Blake Every donor is important to us. If we have not listed your contribution correctly, please let us know by contacting give@chorusamerica.org.

ADVERTISING INDEX ACDA.................................................................. 24

MUSICFOLDER.com........................................... 27

ACFEA Tour Consultants.................................... 13

MyMusicFolders.com......................................... 19

Bach Society of Saint Louis............................... 21

Oregon Bach Festival......................................... 21

Berkshire Choral International.......................2, 13

Performing Arts Readiness................................ 27

Cappella Romana............................................... 23

Phoenix Chorale................................................... 6

Choral Canada....................................................C3

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus...................... 15

Chorus America........................................... C2, C4 Encore Creativity for Older Adults..................... 31

Seattle Men’s Chorus/ Seattle Women’s Chorus................................... 18

GALA Choruses.................................................. 28

Sphinx Organization........................................... 22

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT #498

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

2024

REGIS TR OPEN ATION EARLY S IN 2024 !

CHORUS AMERICA

CONFERENCE

©SEAN PAVONE/ISTOCKPHTO.COM

ATLANTA, GA | JUNE 6–8

©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/PGIAM

Connect and learn with colleagues through inspiring sessions, thoughtful conversations, vibrant performances, and more!

UNED T Y A T S ICING, R P R FO INFO, R E K A SPE ORE! AND M

chorusamerica.org/conference-2024

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts