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The Voice

Chorus America's award-winning quarterly magazine, The Voice, highlights chorus news, artistic initiatives in the choral world, and advice and commentary on the business of running a successful chorus. The Voice is distributed to nearly 2,000 choral leaders throughout North America. It is published in Spring, Summer, and Fall/Winter; ISSN 1074-0805. Browse articles and past issues in the tabs below. Editor, Liza W. Beth

Navigating New Rights Challenges with Online Concerts

Under the pandemic, the only way for choruses to share concert experiences with their audiences has been online. Learning the ins and outs of video production posed an obvious challenge, but another, less apparent, obstacle has proven to be almost as imposing: licensing the music.

The process is complicated even for a single piece featured in a virtual choir production, but clearing rights for five or ten pieces to create a concert video can be exponentially more difficult.  And although the end of the pandemic appears to be in sight, this challenge isn’t going away. For many choruses, a mix of online and in-person programming will become business as usual. We spoke with a cross-section of choral leaders, publishers, and music licensing specialists to create this primer for choruses planning to produce concert videos for online viewing.

Reimagining Relevance: The Key to Returning to Revenue

As optimism for the return to live gatherings cautiously dawns, it’s time to commence the work of rebuilding your choral organization’s capabilities and re-engaging its audiences. Building on “Asking Thru Adversity,” his breakout presentation at the Chorus America Winter Conference, leadership and community engagement consultant Matt Lehrman offers this guide to focusing your efforts.

Trendspotting: Choruses Look Beyond COVID

BY HOLLY J. KELLAR

Across North America and around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the choral landscape. A year later, hope is on the horizon, with vaccinations happening and tentative first steps to slowly reopen entertainment venues. But choral leaders know that the reverberations of the pandemic will be felt for years to come. We asked six choral leaders to give us their thoughts on what the future will bring, and the lessons of the past year.

Voice Magazine, Issue 44.2 - Spring 2021

Feature articles in the 2021 Spring Voice include

  • Trendspotting: Choruses Look Beyond COVID
  • Reimagining Relevance: The Key to Returning to Revenue
  • Navigating New Rights Challenges with Online Concerts
  • Beating Burnout and the Stress Cycle: An Interview with Conductor Amelia Nagoski

Voice Magazine, Issue 44.1 - Fall/Winter 2020

Can Digital Pay Dividends?

Digital Content Revenue Strategies During the Pandemic and Beyond

BY KATHERINE CASTILLE

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

Not-Too-Close Harmony: The Art and Science of Singing Together During the Pandemic

Alongside research into treatment of COVID-19, scientists around the world are conducting studies that are identifying the most effective ways to avoid contracting the virus when people choose to be near each other. Across the country, several choruses are applying some of these findings in an effort to develop safe ways to resume a behavior the pandemic has made especially risky: singing together in the same space. This story examines ways they are approaching the challenge and lessons they are learning

Maintaining Your Momentum During a Long-Term Crisis

BY JANET NEWCOMB, MOLLIE QUINLAN-HAYES, AND THOMAS F. R. CLARESON

Now, more than eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the end is still not in sight. Choral music organizations need to take the time to reassess their priorities and prepare themselves to weather the rest of this long-term crisis in order to position themselves to re-emerge stronger on the other side. In the view of three experienced proponents of readiness planning, maintaining your organizational momentum should be the top priority. That includes preparing for crises beyond COVID.

A New Way Forward: A Lighter Side

In the Summer 2020 issue of Chorus America's magazine, the Voice, we published a number of special features that highlighted the choral community's response in the wake of COVID-19. With in-person performances and rehearsals abruptly taken away, dozens of choral organizations showed their creativity by quickly finding new ways to make music and serve their communities.

A New Way Forward: Responding to Community Needs

In the Summer 2020 issue of Chorus America's magazine, the Voice, we published a number of special features that highlighted the choral community's response in the wake of COVID-19. With in-person performances and rehearsals abruptly taken away, dozens of choral organizations showed their creativity by quickly finding new ways to make music and serve their communities.

A New Way Forward: Rebroadcasting “And”

In the Summer 2020 issue of Chorus America's magazine, the Voice, we published a number of special features that highlighted the choral community's response in the wake of COVID-19. With in-person performances and rehearsals abruptly taken away, dozens of choral organizations showed their creativity by quickly finding new ways to make music and serve their communities.

Advocacy Resources

 

To complement our article on Advocacy 101, we've developed a handy list of resources to help you to stay on top of current issues and carry out your advocacy efforts.

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