ANNUAL REPORT 2022-2023
CAUSING TREBLE FOR 25 YEARS
A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT
Thank you. As a patron, donor, friend, and fan of the OCWC, your presence and your gifts have made an impact that you may not realize. I’d like to reflect on some of the things you allowed us to achieve in the last twenty-five years. • You have enabled countless singers to sing with us who would otherwise have been unable to meet the suggested annual singer contribution of $250—an amount that has not changed in 25 years. • Since 2002, your gifts have made it possible for us to train thirteen young women conductors in paid internship positions. We are thrilled that Sarah Hughes, our Assistant Director, is a graduate of our internship program. • Because you contributed to the commissioning fund, we have commissioned nine new works for women’s voices and premiered 22, most by women composers! • You have donated airline miles and made gifts to the tour scholarship fund, allowing singers who needed financial assistance to travel to the United Kingdom in 2015, to the Pacific Northwest in 2018, and to Carnegie Hall in 2022. With your help, we’ll take singers to Croatia in 2024! • Ticket prices today remain unchanged since 2016—though inflation would tell us that a $75 season ticket then is worth $95 today. Your gifts allow us to keep this music accessible, with discounts available for season tickets, seniors, and students. • Ticket revenue provides 15% - 20% of our total revenue in any given year. Your gifts provide the resources to hire the best artistic leadership (thank you, Eliza, Sarah, and Janelle!) and the best guest artists; they also help us pay for the less glamorous but necessary expenses, including rent, insurance, accounting services, tax services, and payroll processing—as well as compensation for a part-time chorus administrator, Kim Jensen, who keeps things running smoothly. We absolutely couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for believing in us throughout the pandemic; your gifts allowed us to emerge from it stronger than ever. Thank you for returning to live performances, and for embracing new and unusual music as well as masterworks. Thank you for every ticket you’ve purchased and every gift you’ve made, because every dollar makes a difference. It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the president of the board for the last 25 years, and it is now my delight to see the next generation of leadership take the helm. Please join me in supporting Katrina Veldkamp and all of our board members as they lead the OCWC to new accomplishments. I’ll continue to serve as a board member and mentor, and I’m excited to see where the future takes us.
Mary C. Langsdorf President, Board of Directors The OCWC celebrated our 25th Anniversary at Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails in Irvine, CA on April 30, 2023. Click here to hear Mary’s comments at that event.
ABOUT US Mission The Orange County Women’s Chorus creates and performs outstanding choral literature, engages and enriches our audiences, and celebrates women in music.
Vision The Orange County Women’s Chorus is nationally regarded as an artistic and organizational leader in women’s choral music.
Values We, the Board members and singers of the Orange County Women’s Chorus, value: Excellence: The Orange County Women’s Chorus pursues artistic excellence by recruiting talented and dedicated musicians, preparing and performing choral music with the highest level of artistic integrity, and commissioning new works for women’s voices. Community: The Orange County Women’s Chorus fosters a deeply felt sense of community among its members. We support each other, have fun, and work together to achieve artistic excellence. The OCWC strives to extend this sense of community to our audiences, collaborators, and donors. Diversity: The Orange County Women’s Chorus embraces different perspectives and abilities. We are women who come from a variety of backgrounds, life experiences, and professions, ranging in age from young adult to retirees. We are committed to performing music from different cultures and eras, in original languages. Leadership: The Orange County Women’s Chorus is an advocate for women’s choral music and for women in music. We commission and perform new work for women’s voices and we offer opportunities for women to develop expertise and gain recognition as singers and conductors. Our board is actively engaged in organizational development, and is committed to adopting best practices for nonprofits and lifelong learning.
OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESS, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment where board members, staff, volunteers, chorus members and audience members feel respected and valued regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation or identity, disability status or educational level. We are committed to being nondiscriminatory and providing equal opportunities for employment, volunteering and advancement in all areas of our work. We recognize that pervasive cultural biases and historic and institutional racism – whether conscious or unconscious, past or present – have benefited some communities while limiting opportunities and outcomes for communities of color. As artists, we seek to communicate with our audiences – and with each other – in ways that will shape a more positive and equitable future for everyone. We respect the value that diverse life experiences bring to our board and leadership, and we strive to listen to and value the views and perspectives of our members and our audience.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR What passion cannot music raise and quell? I blossom brightly as you sing and flourish by your side... We will conquer the sorrow of life with the sorrow of song. Singing together: For “choir nerds” like most of us in the OCWC, it’s how we celebrate, how we survive, how we remember. It’s how we mark our travel through time with beats and bar lines and some beauty for the journey. The texts we sang during our 25th season looked backward and forward, as we recalled our history and dreamed of our future, and all around us, as we honored the community and friendship we’ve counted on during our two and a half decades together. We sang hymns to the patron saint of music and tributes to women who dared to raise their voices. We sang stories of rebels, seekers, and goddesses—the divine kind and the everyday ones. And in March, we welcomed old and new friends from the Princeton University Chapel Choir to sing (for a sold-out crowd!) Andrea Clearfield’s remarkable Tibetan-inspired cantata Tse Go La, about the passage from youth to old age and beyond. Amid the spiritual and poetic lyrics of Tse Go La, there’s a moment that reminds us of the role of music along our life’s path: Be generous as the performers move amongst you; You might say, “I am old,” as you gather for the performance But turning out to watch the performance— Oh, it makes you feel young!
You, dear friends of the OCWC, have always been generous to us, honoring us with your presence and supporting us with your gifts. As we leap into our second quarter-century, you still make us feel young, and we hope we’ll always return the favor.
ARTISTIC HIGHLIGHTS Artistic highlights of our 2022-23 season included...
An unforgettable collaboration with Dr. Nicole Aldrich and the Princeton University Chapel Choir, who came west to perform Andrea Clearfield’s cantata Tse Go La with the OCWC and one of the most amazing instrumental ensembles we’ve ever assembled
A November program called The Sisterhood of Cecilia, honoring the patron saint of music and an impressive roster of her spiritual soul-sisters, including Enheduanna, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Hildegard of Bingen, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Mirabai
A beautiful command performance by our own soprano Stephanie Wright, who entertained and enchanted the guests at our 25th Anniversary Celebration—which also included reunions with some favorites from our past, including composer Dale Trumbore and former Conducting Intern Mikaela Curtis
And a 25th anniversary concert called Look, Be, Leap! that celebrated our quarter-century of “causing treble” with a program that featured songs about raising our voices together over the years, plus the world premiere of our latest commissioned work, Ruth Huber’s “In the Forest”!
Tse Go La PREVIEW VIDEO
CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL CONCERT
“Moon Goddess”
“Look, Be, Leap!”
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Our 2022 - 2023 season represented our first full season of programming since 2018 2019, and we were thrilled to welcome our audiences back at pre-pandemic levels. Our March 2023 concert was the third-highest attended performance in our 25-year history. Ticket revenue remains a smaller percentage of the total picture than we’ve historically seen, largely because we continued to benefit from available grant funding. We are grateful to our many generous donors who continue to provide the foundation upon which we can build our future.
HOW WE’RE FUNDED 46% of our contributed revenue came from individuals, including singers and board members. This is a smaller percentage of the total pie than in prior years largely because we benefited from grant programs designed to support organizations emerging from the pandemic. We received 27% of our funding from foundation and government grants, including $9,500 from the California Arts Council (the balance recognized in this fiscal year from a total grant of $28,500) and $50,000 from the California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program.
General & Administrative 16%
Singer Contributions 18%
Tickets 14%
Special Events 4% Investment Income 2%
Individual Contributions 20% Corporate Contributions 1%
Gifts in Kind/Donated Use of Facilities 6%
Foundation and Government Grants 27%
HOW WE USE OUR MONEY
Use of In Kind Donations 6%
Fundraising 6% Marketing & Advertising 6% Artistic Expenses 49% Program Production 17%
Board Member Contributions 8%
72% of our funding was spent on programming: artistic compensation and expenses, production costs, and marketing. Management and administrative expenses increased as a percentage of the whole because we hired a part-time Chorus Administrator in October 2022. Fundraising expenses increased slightly as we celebrated our 25th anniversary with a special fundraising event in April 2023.
ARTISTIC LEADERS
Eliza Rubenstein, Artistic Director
Sarah Hughes, Assistant Director
Janelle Kim, Pianist
ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERS 2022-2023
MARY C. LANGSDORF
KATHRYN J. BALDASARI
JANET A. BRATTON
MARJORIE A. BEALE
LAUREL CHOWDHURY
MARGUERITE DUPRIEU
HEATHER SPICKARD
KATRINA VELDKAMP
KIM JENSEN
BOARD PRESIDENT
TOURS AND COMMISSIONING
FUNDRAISING AND DEVELOPMENT
F I N A N C E A N D S T R AT E G Y
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
L E G A L , A D M I N I S T R AT I V E A N D P R E S I D E N T- E L E C T
O P E R AT I O N S
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
C H O R U S A D M I N I S T R AT O R
CONTRIBUTORS Dame Ethel Smyth’s Suffragist Army (Gifts of $2,500 and above) Kathy and Nick Baldasari Janet Bratton and Tom Nichols California Arts Council California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program Emily Horowitz and Chatom Arkin Tracy and Barry Kogen Cinthia and Adam Kush Mary and Bill Langsdorf Leslie and Robert Mulford Ellen Quandahl and Larry Wheeler Cathryn Starr and Ronald Banks Clara Schumann’s Musical Family (Gifts of $1,500 - $2,499) Anonymous Laurel and Debashis Chowdhury Cynthia and David Knell C. Douglas Kranwinkle Mary Watson Hildegard von Bingen’s Community of Vision (Gifts of $500 to $1,500) AbbVie Foundation AYCO Charitable Foundation, Jeffrey A. and Susan L. Berkel Fund Marjorie Beale and William Meyerhoff Boeing Corporation Nancy Burke and Dominic Holzhaus Elizabeth Cowan and Rebecca Chadwick Braddie and David Dooley John Holcombe and Jeff Whittiker Pamela Horowitz and Rolf Uitzetter Joseph Huszti Faith and Steven James Kimberly Jensen Jill Johnson-Tucker and Larry Tucker Cheryl Knudsen Chiara and Vincent Ko Karen and James McBride Patricia Morgan Renée and Cory Oakes
PwC Lisa Roetzel and Alan Terricciano Martha Selby The Chris Smith Family Foundation Gregory Smith Laurie Soderberg Kristen Soderberg and Luke Goebel Heather Spickard and Alexander Demetrescu Elizabeth Stahr Dr. Sharon Stevenson Claire and David Stoneman Barbara and James van Gaasbeek Katrina Veldkamp and Michael Fischer Anne Walthall Megan and Alec Waters Karen Zfaty Fanny Mendelssohn’s Musical Salon (Gifts of $150 to $499) Anonymous Erin and Jon Allen Amazon Jayne and David Baldwin Violette Balma Linda and George Bauer Kieran and Marilyn Bergin Susan and Jeffrey Berkel Lizz Bjornsti and Christopher Persichilli Carolyn and John Breihan Joan and Ron Breuch Peter and Melissa Browning Sherry Caldwell JoJo and Mike Caprini Chuck and Janet Coe Richard and Libby Cook Jessica Cosley Ernest Duarte Boska and Joseph Dzida John Feeney Janelle Forney Shannon Fowler Fresno Community Chorus, Inc. Merrilee J. Gardner Jessica Garibay Pat and Dick George
Allison Gibbons Adriana Gomez Marissa Gonzalez Janice and Paul Goodwin Samantha and Tom Gossage Andrea Hancock Dean and Laura Hanley Ako Harada Lindsie Hardy Randall Hodges Martha and Darrell Hughes Shannon Kerr Jasmine Khorsandi Jeff Kogen Kroger Kate and Tom Kush Felicia Lee Mimi Liljeholm Kathleen Lyttle Elizabeth Manji Shauna McFadden and Shanna George Barbara Metzger Tasha Miller Carole and Alex Mintzer Darlene Moen Carrie and Kaz Mulcahy Myers/Sobel Charitable Fund, a Donor Advised Fund of U.S. Charitable Gift Trust Michael and Joan Neuscheler Patsy R. Nichols Brian Noel Fiona Parker Clara Paye Dolly A. Platt, Ph.D MaCall Potter Quentin Quinn Doreen C. Ramsey Laura Raynes and Mark Dizon Calvin and Caroline Roetzel Andrea Romero Eliza Rubenstein Paul Sammon and Tom Hall Paul Sandorff Carroll S. Seron Jaimelynn Shah Sharon and Mike Sheffield Sidestreet Entertainment--Documentary Now! Val Simson Janet Smith
Sherri Sobel Rachel and Joe Sosta Tom Staple Terry Steagall Sara Stearns and Brad Hammond Mariko Takahashi Brittany Traufler Sara and Harry Veldkamp Claudia Villamizar Petrina Walker Marie Washington Stephanie and Keith Wright Chiara Margarita Cozzolani’s Chorus (Gifts up to $149) Lorna Adkins Aaron Alter Susan Anderson Yvette Andrea James Armistead Diane and Chimo Arnold Kelly and Philip Arnold Carole Arvidson Norma Lee Kerns Barnhart Linda Barnhurst Benevity, Inc. Linda Binder Carol and Larry Black Jessica Blair Christopher Blank Jean and Rob Bowman Tina Bradley Shelley Tahan Breton Judy Bronson Kay Brown Gina Broz Emily Bruce Wendy Bryan Caryn Buddie Sandi Buzzell Tara Capalbo Leslie Carr Margaret Carrigan Kathryn Cartelli Ariana Celeste Julie Chay Wayne Christensen Nik Clair Karen Cook and Roy Nichols
CONTRIBUTORS Christopher and Marika Cook Vivian Cook and Chet Wescott Karen Copeland Michael Cribbin Julie Dana Agnes Demetrescu Arlene Dorius Gail Dufour Troy Eades Dolores Ealy-O’Neal Stephanie Eckerman Mary Ellen Kevin Ellison Susan Engelhart Carolyn Estrada Sharon Everley Donna Ewing Jordan Fabish Fidelity Charitable Julie Fischer Molly Fitts Debbie Fleming Lynn Francis Cathy Fry Laura Garrett Susan Garrett Jason Gloege Patricia Goodman Christina and Mike Grant Michael Burton and Ellen Greenberger Aaron Griffith Michael Guscott Elizabeth Guthrie Linda Haghi Bonnie and Bill Hall Cricket Handler Scot Hanna-Weir Judy Hante Lela and Scott Hardy Marie Hayes John Hazlin KJ (Kim) Heidebrecht Mariana Hernandez Paul Herrick Lorna Hertogh
Linda Hidy Louise Hill Kristin Hinze Coty Hitchcock Marla Hodes Melinda Hunter Karen Ann Hurst Heather Huszti iGive.com Holdings, LLC Alex and Sandy Iles Rick Isaacs Tamera Isaacs Chardette Jameson Susan Jarratt Julie and Ben Roberts Dani Johnson Tommi Johnson JustGive - Great Nonprofits Foodie Kim Lance Kimberlin Lorrie King Jennifer Knell Lindsay Knell Ralph and Jean Kosmicke Randi Kraemer Deborah Kuryan Barbara and Bill Lacey Kimberley Lakes Arlie Langager Jillian Lappetito Emily Larson Jim Le Valerie Lee Teresa LePage and Scott Rychnovsky Iris Levine Susan and Rich Liechty Peter Lin Scott Livingstone Patricia Lixfeld Rachel Maclary Christopher Magoun Lindy and Paul Mahlow Harriet and Herbert Malmon Frank Manning Grace Marcotrigiano
Mary Martin Richard Martin Lourdes and Timothy Mason Linda Mayer Sharon McCartney Teri M. McCasland Jan McDaniel Cynthia McKinney Benjamin McLain Carol McLaughlin Theresa and Mark McManigal Gerri McNenny and Neal Hartshough Lauri McRae Joseph McVeigh Howard Meharg Brenda Meng Sally Menzel Steven Michel Catherine and John Miles Elizabeth Miller Richard Miller Steve Milloy Dawn Molt Amber Monte Sindy Murray Nicolette Myers Kim Nason Angela Nelson Susan and Clark Nichols Jean Passanante Neal Paton Germaine Peiffer Karen Pender Molly Peters Joan Pierce Tom and Maureen Pietryga Molly Buznik Pontin Linda and JT Price Laurie Quigley Christian Rabbitt Linda C. Radano and David Shuler Jocelyne Ramirez Stephen and Sharon Raynes Danny Reed Ed Reese Gloria Rice Fatima Rizvi-Flores Jennifer Rohen Ann Rose Marissa and Jacob Rosenbaum
Anne Rosse Meghan and Eric Ruggio Dorien Saito Carolyn Scheer Janice Schneider Anne Seagren Barbara Seagren Catherine Sharbaugh Angie Sharp Shana Siegel Sharon Smith Magen Solomon Gai Spickard Nathan Staph Daniel Tadiarca Lisa Thess Jerry Thornburg Janet Thullen Linda Tilden Christopher Trela Michael Tucker Lucas and Owen Veldkamp Luke Verseput Perry and Nestor Vicente Murray and April Wachtenheim Kenneth Waldram Karen Walkenhorst Peggy Walsh Bob and Diane Ward Vonnie Waters Megan Webb Courtney Wehr Lyle Weismantel Erin Welch Robert Wellman Lynn West Pamela Wollenberg Marilyn Wright Alan Yamashiro David E. York Anne Yung Alex Zee Chung Cha Ziesel-Fitch
23802 Avenida De La Carlota Laguna Hills, CA 92653 www.ocwomenschorus.org info@ocwomenschorus.org