| The Voice of Chorus America
Features
"The Art of Making Children Sing" (Fall 2000)
After a career teaching music in public school, Joan Gregoryk is
realizing her dream with the Children's Chorus of Washington
By Matthew Sigman
"Singing for a Living" (Winter 2000-01)
Professional choral singers blaze their own trail in careers that
are both varied and rewarding
By Linell Smith
"Education Programs: Partnership with Our Future" (Spring 2001)
Choruses find education programs a win-win endeavor
By Heidi Waleson
"Hiring Your First Paid Staff" (Summer 2001)
When the operation gets too big for volunteers, choruses tell how
to navigate the transition to a paid staff
By Heidi Waleson
"Sing for Your Health" (Summer 2001)
Study finds that choral singing boosts production of antibodies
that fight disease
By Marla Jo Fisher
"The Fight Against Civic Disengagement" (Fall 2001)
Choruses can play a vital role in reversing the trend toward social
isolation that plagues society today
By Thomas H. Sander
"Financial Challenges Ahead for the Performing Arts" (Fall 2001)
Booming financial growth has slowed and performing arts organizations
should plan accordingly (adapted from Knight Kiplinger’s Keynote Address, Chorus America Conference in Toronto, June 2001)
By Knight Kiplinger
"Showing Up" (Fall 2001)
Presenting a unified case for the choral art (adapted
from the President's Opening Remarks, Chorus America Conference in Toronto,
June 2001)
By Tom Hall
"Voice" (Fall 2001)
An exploration of the voice through culture and time (excerpted from R. Murray Schafer’s Keynote Address, Chorus America Conference in Toronto, June 2001)
By R. Murray Schafer
"From Sea to Shining Sea" (Winter 2001-02)
Choruses respond to the tragedies of September 11
By Heidi Waleson
"Winning the Grammy" (Spring 2002)
Choruses assess the impact of a Grammy win
By Heidi Waleson
"Strategic Planning for Cultural Organizations" (Spring 2002)
By Graeme Page
"Symphony Choruses: Playing By Their Own Rules" (Summer 2002)
Whether affiliated or independent, symphony choruses travel many
roads to success
By John Sparks
"World Choral Symposium Comes to Minnesota" (Summer 2002)
Up to 3,000 are expected for the first-ever U.S.-hosted Symposium
this August
By Katryn Conlin
"Finding Funds for Commissioning" (Fall 2002)
Modern-day patrons are finding creative and collaborative ways to connect with composers and bring new choral works to life
By Heidi Waleson
"Leadership Series: ENRON, Corporate Malfeasance or Nonprofit Cautionary Tale?" (Fall 2002)
By Nancy Axelrod
"No Short Cuts to Conducting" (Winter 2002-03)
Chorus America's first conducting workshop with Chicago Symphony Association provides valuable podium time for promising young conductors
By Melinda Cross
"Leadership Series: The Leadership Triad" (Winter 2002-03)
By Oliver Tessier
"Americans Rank Choruses as #1 Form of Arts Participation” (Spring 2003)
First-ever national study of choral participation estimates 28.5 million Americans regularly perform with a chorus
By John D. Sparks
"Leadership Series: Managing the Transition to a Community Board” (Spring 2003)
By Mary Ann de Barbieri
"Choruses and the College Voice Student” (Summer 2003)
Schools that train singers expect them to operate in both the choral and solo worlds – how does this work?
By Heidi Waleson
"Leadership Series: A New Ethics Environment” (Summer 2003)
By Michael G. Daigneault
"When Times are Tough" (Fall 2003)
The recent downturn in the economy presents challenges -- and opportunities -- what choruses are doing and how they are faring
By Russell Willis Taylor
"Art at the Heart of Learning" (Fall 2003)
Adapted and excerpted from a keynote address given at Chorus America’s 26th Annual Conference in Kansas City, June 5, 2003
By Eric Booth
"When Choruses Collaborate" (Winter 2003-04)
Doing what comes naturally, choruses collaborate to make good things happen
By Kelsey Menehan
"How Choral Singing Changes Lives" (Winter 2003-04)
By Heidi Waleson
"Many Roads to Choral Conducting" (Spring 2004)
Powerful early experiences set conductors on career paths with unusual twists and turns
by Heidi Waleson
"College A Cappella!" (Summer 2004)
The explosion of a cappella singing on college campuses could fuel the community chorus movement
By Heidi Waleson
"We Have Had Singing" (Fall 2004)
The legacy and lessons of the Dale Warland Singers
By Kelsey Menehan
"Choral Recordings to Die For" (Fall 2004)
Top choral picks by classical broadcasters
By Fred Child, John Birge, Robert Aubry Davis, and Robert Cooper
"When Children Know the Score" (Fall 2004)
Chorus America workshop gives youth chorus conductors valuable podium time
By Erin Frisby
“The Singing-Health Connection” (Winter 2004-05)
A growing body of research demonstrates enhanced health and emotional benefits from singing
By John Sparks
“Chorus America Conference 2005: Building a Sound Structure” (Winter 2004-05)
“Switching the Dial On Choral Music” (Spring 2005)
Even with many more choices, you hear less and less vocal music on the radio – why, and what can you do about it?
By John Sparks
“Sacred Texts in A Secular World: A Word To Nonbelievers – and Believers” (Spring 2005)
Reprinted from Choral Masterworks: A Listener’s Guide, with permission of Oxford University Press. The book, released in April 2005, includes 47 essays on the major choral-orchestral works of 28 composers, from J.S. Bach to John Adams
By Michael Steinberg
"Choral Conductors: A Balancing Act" (Summer 2005)
A recent study by Chorus America shows that most choral conductors direct between two and three choruses and are experts in multi-tasking, from conducting to teaching to managing to marketing
By Matthew Sigman
"Gay and Lesbian Choruses - Then and Now" (Summer 2005)
What began 30 years ago in anger and isolation has given way to musical excellence and collaborations promoting tolerance and inclusion
By John D. Sparks
"Tomorrow's Voices: Changing Lives in the Classroom" (Fall 2005)
A composer in the classroom creates new singers, new repertoire, and audiences for the future
By Katryn Conlin
"After the (Brain) Storm: Keeping Creativity Alive" (Fall 2005)
At Chorus America's 28th Annual Conference, arts energizer Eric Booth led a plenary session that generated a fount of creative audience development ideas. But now what? The Voice invited Booth to share what he knows about keeping the creative spark alive
By Eric Booth
"Finding A New Music Director" (Winter 2005-06)
Data suggests many choruses will face leadership transitions in the not-too-distant future. The Dessoff Choirs' search to replace a beloved music director will resonate with many choruses contemplating a similar transition
By Jeff Lunden
"What's New For Singers" (Winter 2005-06)
Chorus America asked a singer to "sample" a few products aimed at benefiting choral singers and provide commentary on how they might help in her quest to be the best choral singer she can be
By Kelsey Menehan
"Rising Up: Urban Youth Choruses" (Spring 2006)
Inner-city choruses are fostering great diversity in recruitment and repertoire
By John Sparks
"Sound of Silence" (Summer 2006)
How “getting quiet” through meditation can enhance choral singing
By Lisa Houston
"The Making of a Choral Conductor" (Summer 2006)
Creating a choral conducting career
By Heidi Waleson
"Learning for Life: A Conducting Masterclass" (Fall 2006)
Conducting programs offer podium time, repertoire, relationships, real-world skills, and renewal – a recipe for continued professional growth
By Karen Deans
"Taking It On the Road: Is Your Chorus Ready To Tour?" (Fall 2006)
Choruses and tour companies share their wisdom about touring
By Kelsey Menehan
"What to Wear" (Winter 2006-07)
Choosing chorus apparel that works
By Lawana Holland
"Burn Out" (Winter 2006-07)
Increased financial pressure, poor board relationships, and lack of access to professional training take their toll on chorus executives
By Kelsey Menehan
"Bridging Cultural Divides: Can Choruses Lead the Way?" (Spring 2007)
By Kelsey Menehan and Patricia Moore Harbour
"In Two-Part Harmony" (Spring 2007)
When choristers make beautiful music as couples
By Kelsey Menehan
"New Voices on Composing & Commissioning" (Summer 2007)
A roundtable discussion with Meet the Composer's Heather Hitchens, the American Composer Forum's John Neuchterlein, and the American Music Center's Joanne Hubbard.
"Missions With Might" (Summer 2007)
The power of purpose plays out everyday
By Heidi Waleson
"Stemming Our Cultural Decline" (Fall 2007)
Arts education is a civic investment with a tangible return
By Dana Gioia
"Sensational Singing Seniors" (Fall 2007)
Good for the Body, Good for the Soul
By Kelsey Menehan
"Byting the Bullet: Choosing the Best Management Software for Your Chorus" (Winter 2007-08)
While some choruses have discovered or devised systems that work for them, others are still looking for the best way to manage their myriad data management needs
By Kelsey Menehan
"A Wrinkle in 4/4 Time" (Spring 2008)
Strategies for dealing with the challenges of aging voices
By Kelsey Menehan
"Leaders Gather in Denver To Reset the Arts Agenda" (Spring 2008)
Chorus leaders to take action together with arts colleagues as part of historic National Performing Arts Convention, June 10-14, 2008
By Jan-Marie Petersen
"Women in Choral Conducting: A Level Playing Field?" (Summer 2008)
Men vastly outnumber women in orchestral conducting, but choruses tell a different story
By Vivien Schweitzer
Board Room: Leadership Strategies for Success
"Board Health Check for the New Century" (Fall 2000)
By Sherry Schiller Cameron
"Key Ingredients for a Successful Advisory Committee" (Winter 2000-01)
By Nancy Axelrod
"A New Kind of Governance" (Spring 2001)
By Lynn Luckow
"Financial Crisis? Fight for Your Survival" (Summer 2001)
By James A. Grigsby
"Navigating a Founder Transition: Smooth Sailing or Rough Seas?" (Winter 2001-02)
By Mary Ann de Barbieri
"Five Steps to Building Your Board" (Spring 2002)
By Ottie Lockey
"Board Giving and Other Sticky Issues (Summer 2002)
A “case study” of the fictional Singalot Chorus
"Do You Have Terminal Executive Director Disease?” (Spring 2003)
By Ellen Rosewall
"Eight Insurance Tips for Nonprofit Boards” (Summer 2003)
By Melanie Herman
"How to Create a Five-Star Board" (Fall 2003)
Adapted with permission from Arts Insight newsletter, published by the Arts Consulting Group, Inc.
"10 Steps To Developing a Diverse Board" (Spring 2004)
By Berit Lakey
"Is Your Personnel Manual Complete?" (Summer 2005)
10 essential policies that are often overlooked
By Dave Ljung
"Continuity Planning: Prepare Your Chorus for the Unexpected" (Winter 2005-06)
As organizations of every type struggle to get back on their feet after a succession of natural disasters this fall, we are all reminded that it could happen to anyone. A business continuity expert shares steps you can take to mitigate the effects of a crisis.
By Jim Nelson, MBCP
"In the Board Room, Culture Counts" (Spring 2006)
All the accountability checks in the world won't prevent lousy decisions if board members, managers, and artistic leaders lack teamwork and communications chemistry
By Nancy R. Axelrod
"10 Questions to Organize Your Day" (Summer 2006)
Managing time so that you have more of it
By Douglas Patti
"Let Your Numbers Sing" (Summer 2007)
Data, obtained from a variety of sources and used in context, will enrich your organizational decisionmaking
By Elizabeth (Bess) Hamilton Foley
"Becoming Board Chair" (Fall 2007)
How to bring the job description to life
By Mary Ann de Barbieri
"Chairing the Finance Committee" (Winter 2007-08)
Providing financial oversight for your chorus is a critical role with many facets. Read about the challenges and rewards.
By Elizabeth Hamilton Foley
"Putting Ego to Work for Your Chorus" (Summer 2008)
When managed wisely, the force of ego can lead to breakthroughs in communication
By Steven Smith
Fundraising Focus
"How to Seek Corporate and Foundation Grants" (Fall 2000)
By Mary Ann de Barbieri
"Hunter and Hunted: 6 Tips from a Fundraising Veteran" (Winter 2000-01)
By Knight Kiplinger
"It Doesn't Take a Village" (Spring 2001)
Adopting a new model for your annual fundraising
By Paul W. Hogle
"Watch Your Language!" (Summer 2001)
The words you use to tell your story make all the difference in
fundraising
By Catherine Dehoney, development director, Chorus America
"Cultivating the Individual Donor: View from the Inside" (Fall 2002)
What motivates one donor to give generously, and how to keep her in the family (adapted from remarks made at the 2002 Conference session, “Effective Strategies for Donor Cultivation”)
By Elfrieda E. Heinrichs
"The Fear of Asking - Get Over It!" (Winter 2002-03)
A veteran fundraiser explains why most people are afraid to ask for money and how to dispel those fears
By Kim Klein
"Getting Your Board On Board with Fundraising" (Summer 2004)
Finding the right board leaders can yield rich dividends
By Michael Page Miller
“Doing Good AND Doing Right: Ethics in Fundraising” (Winter 2004-05)
Raising money can pose ethical dilemmas – but guidance is readily available
By Catherine Dehoney, development director, Chorus America
“10 Fundraising Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” (Spring 2005)
These common misconceptions can hamper your best efforts
By Kay Sprinkel Grace
"Thinking Small" (Fall 2005)
Why business support may come in smaller packages
By Heidi Waleson
"Fundraising the Day After" (Summer 2006)
Post-disaster fundraising doesn’t mean changing your tune
By Karen Deans
"Never Ask for Money!" (Fall 2006)
Post-disaster fundraising doesn’t mean changing your tune
By Kelly Ruggirello
"Funding from Foundations: Recipe for Success" (Fall 2007)
Writing a successful foundation proposal is not rocket science, but it does require vision, research, planning, cultivation, and careful implementation
by Mary Ann Pulk and Corty Fengler
Podium Time: Artistic Issues
"Six Ideas for Successful Orchestra Collaborations" (Fall 2000)
By Duain Wolfe
"Holiday Programming - The Annual Conundrum" (Winter 2000-01)
By Norman Scribner
"Conducting the Mormon Tabernacle: A Glimpse of Heaven on Earth" (Spring
2001)
By Robert Nance
"Commissioning a New Choral Work" (Summer 2001)
A composer gives her practical advice on bringing new works into the choral repertoire
By Libby Larsen
"Make Your Program Notes Work Harder" (Winter 2001-02)
Connecting with your audience is an ongoing challenge – program notes can help rather than hinder
By Tom Hall
"The Ideal Skills & Characteristics of a Successful Conductor" (Spring
2002)
By The Conducting Task Force of Chorus America
"A Conversation with Morten Lauridsen" (Summer 2002)
By Margaret Winchell Miller
"The Opus Onerous" (Fall 2002)
A singer's journey through Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis
By Kelsey Menehan
"The Art of Auditioning Children – Building Confidence Rather than Instilling Fear” (Spring 2003)
By Susan McMane
"A Conductor’s Job is To Communicate” (Summer 2003)
Conductors can open doors to many more levels of communication in music-making
By Charles Bruffy
"When Art Meets Spirit" (Fall 2003)
By Philip Brunelle
"A Bold New Era in Sound" (Winter 2003-04)
The Los Angeles Master Chorale “plumbs the sonic possibilities” of their historic move into Disney Hall
By Victoria Looseleaf
"Confessions of a Hymn Bandit: The Amazing Case of ‘Blow Ye the Trumpet’” (Spring 2004)
By Kirke Mechem
"Studying Bach with Mel Gibson" (Summer 2004)
We can use our role as musical leaders to engage in an important dialogue on religious intolerance
By Tom Hall
"Say Little and Do Much: An Interview with Steve Reich” (Fall 2004)
Reich’s reputation as “musical tsunami” continues with LAMC’s world premiere of his latest choral work
By Victoria Looseleaf
“Your Concert As Feast: Notes on Programming” (Winter 2004-05)
The necessity of presenting exceptional pieces in exceptional performances
By George Gelles
“What Is A Chorus?” (Spring 2005)
Music claimed by choruses is often not choral in origin – it becomes choral music when a chorus sings it
By Tom Kelly
"When Young Choristers Perform Under Pressure" (Summer 2005)
Thorough preparation is key to a flawless solo when 200 million listeners tune in to hear the King's College annual broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
By Karin Brookes
"Alice At 80 - A Life Lived in Song" (Winter 2005-06)
Alice Parker, one of America's most beloved and respected composers, conductors, and educators in choral music today, marks her 80th birthday in December. The Voice invited her to reflect on her long and productive life in music.
By Alice Parker
"Creative Concerts: A Dialogue" (Spring 2006)
As part of a series exploring creative concert presentation, the Voice invited a stage director and choral conductor to consider ways choruses might enhance the concert experience
By Sandra Bernhard and Stephen Coker
"Working With the Music Director" (Spring 2007)
Five factors that influence the relationship
An excerpt from Chorus America's Conductor's Count
"A Standing O in Carnegie Hall" (Summer 2007)
A national high school choral festival gives students a taste of bliss
By Jeff Lunden
"Commission Raises Record Sum" (Fall 2007)
A donated commission by Bob Chilcott catches fire with 20 youth choruses
By Heidi Waleson
"In the Beginning is the Word" (Winter 2007-08)
How we find the music by first learning the text
By Alice Parker
"Innovation as a Way of Life" (Spring 2008)
How we took concerts apart and put them back together again so music could be heard with fresh ears
By David Lang
"When to Speak About Your Performance" (Summer 2008)
Practical advice on how to speak effectively from the stage so that audiences personally connect to your music
By Eric Booth
SRO! Standing Room Only: Marketing and Public Relations
"Getting the Most Out of Your Subscription Dollars" (Fall 2000)
Save money, increase your renewal rate, and convert more single-ticket
buyers to subscribers
By Robin Hanley and Gregg Sorensen
"Listening to the Voices Around You" (Spring 2001)
How brainstorming can help chorus leaders tap fresh ideas-and get
results
By Geoff Campshire
"When Concerts Don't Sell" (Summer 2001)
Long-term marketing success depends on the quality of performances
and programming choices
By William F. "Rick" Lester
"How Does the Chorus Community Think?" (Winter 2001-02)
By Norah Bolton
"When Crisis Hits Home" (Summer 2002)
A crisis is an unwelcome visitor in any organization, but you can minimize its impact with a crisis management plan
By Steve Carr
"The Media and You" (Winter 2002-03)
Practical tips on attracting media in an era of waning arts coverage
By Robert Commanday
"Audience Development for the 21st Century” (Summer 2003)
Can we translate the good news of Chorus America’s “chorus impact study” into larger audiences for choral music?
By Ellen Rosewall
"Email Marketing for the Arts: Top Tips for Success" (Winter 2003-04)
The effective use of email can revolutionize marketing for your chorus
By Eugene Carr
"Who Are These People? The Importance of Knowing Your Audience" (Spring 2004)
By Nancy Roberts
"Spending Your Postage Dollars Wisely" (Summer 2004)
Mailing has never been more complicated or costly. A few simple tips -- and advice from professional mailers -- could result in significant savings for your chorus
By Frank Hood
“Maximize Your Marketing Impact” (Winter 2004-05)
Practical ideas for improving message strategy and branding
By Helen Roberts Franczyk
"The Death of Performing Arts Subscriptions - Or Not?" (Winter 2005-06)
The lament is premature, according to one marketing expert - it's about exposure, not just promotion
By Douglas W. Kinzey
"Get the Media Attention Your Chorus Deserves" (Winter 2006-07)
Increased public exposure can yield many benefits
By Kathy Bonk
"When Choruses and the Media 'Clash'" (Spring 2008)
The recent media buzz isn't all good news for choruses
By Heidi Waleson
Encore
“Robert Page Steps Down from Mendelssohn Choir” (Spring 2005)
Choir to honor Page with gala on June 17
Prepared with help from the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburg and Eric C. Sloss
"Gregg Smith Singers At 50" (Fall 2005)
Still in love with new music
By Kelsey Menehan
"Why My Chorus Sings from Memory (Winter 2005-06)
More choruses are singing from memory for greater artistry and impact
By Jan Pedersen Schiff
"In Search of Lost Time" (Spring 2006)
In the rush to accelerate our lives, music provides refuge
By Robert Commanday
"My Life in Choral Music So Far" (Summer 2006)
Vance George reflects on a lifetime of musicmaking as he prepares to leave the San Francisco Symphony Chorus
By Vance George
"We Sing and We're Proud!" (Fall 2006)
It’s time to check your choral inferiority complex at the door and assert choral music’s rightful place
By Knight Kiplinger
"Why We Need Choral Music" (Winter 2006-07)
The African tradition of ubuntu teaches us what we may be missing
By Steven Fisher
"Worth Listening To" (Spring 2007)
By Tom Hall
"Brazeal Dennard" (Fall 2007)
Championing African-American music and composers for 60 years
"Ovation Inflation?" (Winter 2007-08)
Without needed tools for deeper listening, our audiences grab for a more visceral experience
By Larry Passmore
"A Time of Risk: Reaching Toward the Unknown" (Spring 2008)
Seismic market shifts invite us to rethink our missions. Are we ready for a world where value is co-created?
By Ben Cameron
"Marilyn Horne's Second Act" (Summer 2008)
Rather than exit, stage left, one of America's most celebrated opera stars decided to shine the spotlight on the next generation
By Kelsey Menehan
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