Volume 13, Issue 1
Cantabile Choral Guild, 953 Industrial Ave. Ste 118, Palo Alto CA 94303, 650.424.1410
| Home | About | Youth Singer Resources | Chorale Resources | Concerts | | Directions | FAQ | Contact |
We are all the buzz! It has been an amazing season, and you were there to enjoy it with us.
I have just celebrated my second anniversary as executive director for what is now called Cantabile Choral Guild. This job has turned out better than I ever imagined. My passion and energy for serving the community with exemplary arts are fed so nicely. Okay, there are some long hours, but it’s gratifying to spend time doing something I love.
The success of the past season has been a shared accomplishment. Our staff, artists, board of directors, volunteers, singers, kids, parents, donors, and audiences have all played a role. The relationships we build are a hallmark of our success, and we do enjoy a true family atmosphere. What a pleasure it is to work with such dedicated people!
You probably remember that we pulled out all the stops last year to celebrate our 25th anniversary, but you may not be aware that back in July 2003 when that season started, we projected a season deficit of $20,000 that would have eaten up most of our reserves. After massive cuts in foundation funding and other corporate support that had previously sustained the organization, we had to look to other sources to support our commitment to the community.
Who was it that came through for us? It was you! You attended our concerts, you donated generously, and you enrolled your kids in our educational programs.
Individuals’ general-purpose contributions increased 70% over the season before. We originally projected donations at $20,000, then set a campaign goal of $35,000 with $25,000 in honor of the adult chorus’s 25th anniversary and another $10,000 for the youth choirs’ 10th anniversary. And you donated not $35,000, but nearly $45,000!
Last year’s restricted donations were quite generous, too. Checks for the new Signe Boyer Scholarship Fund continue to find their way to our office. And an anonymous donor subsidized all our ticket sales to students and has just offered to continue that subsidy through the new season.
Ticket revenue increased by nearly 50%, setting records for a season, for a single program, and for a single evening. This represents an enormous extension to our audience base, and 10% of them were students, including a whole class from Stanford University who listened to the November concert with their Bach B Minor Mass scores open in their laps. Gotta love that!
In a nutshell, by the end of the season, the deficit for our big anniversary celebration originally projected at $20,000 turned out to be slightly over $1000. Do I hear a “rah rah rah, sis boom bah”?
And there’s still more good news. Did you see the glowing reviews of our adult chorus, now Cantabile Chorale, for the Rachmaninoff Vespers and Beethoven Symphony No. 9? These days choral groups can only hope for media attention, maybe getting one review, maybe none. Well, this season we received six. And they were just amazing. Bravo to our fine chorus and the inspiring Sanford Dole behind the baton!
Then how about the appointment of Elena Sharkova as artistic director of Cantabile Youth Singers, as it’s now called? Signe Boyer’s big success as founding director of Cantabile Children’s Chorus is certainly a hard act to follow, so it’s difficult to grasp what a golden opportunity we now have with Maestra Sharkova. I’m still receiving emails from noteworthy musicians and educators nationwide praising our choice and congratulating us on our luck in hiring someone of her caliber.
So where do we go from here? Can we sustain the momentum?
You bet! “Music for Life” is the essence of our mission, and our work is never finished. There will always be art to present and people to inspire. Cantabile Chorale has an amazing season of programs in preparation, and enrollment in Cantabile Youth Singers is growing already.
Don’t miss out. We have something for everyone in our family. We look forward to welcoming you this year.
Cantabile Choral Guild, 953 Industrial Ave. Ste 118, Palo Alto CA 94303, 650.424.1410
| Home | About | Youth Singer Resources | Chorale Resources | Concerts | | Directions | FAQ | Contact |