What a year it was!

Guild Chorus director Sanford Dole with board members Margaret Garms and Dorothy Manly at August 5 board retreat

Baroque Choral Guild faced a number of daunting challenges last season, successfully weathered all of them and ended the 2000-2001 fiscal year with a budget surplus.

Last summer the board of directors concluded its search for a new music director and announced the appointment of Sanford Dole in August. In September Maestro Dole embarked on an ambitious season which was crowned by two glorious performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in June.

In addition, the Guild had to cope with the unforeseen resignation of Cantabile's founding administrator, who relocated to Washington state. Already in the middle of a 3-year transition plan to merge all of BCG's operations in a central business office, the board accellerated its reorganization schedule, naming managing director Audrey Wong as fulltime Executive Director and hiring additional support staff. Program Manager Claire Bacher and Bookkeeper Courtney Laird joined the Guild before the close of last season.

The board also overhauled BCG's web sites, initiated a search for business office space, purchased a new office computer, and contracted a consultant to set up accounting and bookkeeping systems for our now combined operations.

Board president Wendy Bartlett and Cantabile director Signe Boyer

Finally, because of space limitations and/or rent increases, the Guild found different rehearsal venues for three of its four choruses. Searching for suitable halls, negotiating use fees, managing the actual moves, and notifying everyone about the new locations were all very substantial tasks.

In any given year, mounting an extraordinarily large-scale production such as the St. Matthew Passion would pose significant financial, artistic, and logistical challenges enough for any performing organization. Handling all of the changes which faced the Guild while at the same time proceeding with the restructuring campaign - without disruption to our artistic offerings - is testimony of the Guild's health and stability.

The increases in concert production (St. Matthew Passion) and administrative (additional staff and consultants) expenses were balanced by increases in chorus membership, audience, and donors. Last season, BCG was the recipient of grants awarded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Wallis Foundation, Arts Council Silicon Valley, the Ann and Gordon Gerry Foundation, California Casualty Group, and Lucent Technologies. The end-of-year surplus was a welcome and necessary addition to the Guild's reserves, which the organization is building to absorb the added expenses of the new office and staff.

Three year strategic planning

Phase I, completed 1999-2000

• review of all materials, interviews with board, staff, committee members
• board assessment and inventory of needs
• creation of budget models and scenarios
• begin job descriptions and ops manuals
• begin assembling materials for corporate and major gifts solicitation

Phase II, completed 2000-2001

• operations manuals for all BCG activities
• comprehensive Guild planning calendar
• job descriptions for new staff positions
• appointment of program manager and bookkeeper
• corporation and major gift presentation materials
• board handbook

Phase III, goal of 2001-2002

• development plan for the combined BCG/Cantabile activities
• board development
• securing of BCG business office
• search and appointment of new Executive Director

Our future is bright, and YOU are a very important part of it. Your participation is crucial to our achieving this new organizational level. You can take this next step with us as an audience member, a chorister, a donor, a volunteer.

PLEASE JOIN US!!!