Orange County NC Website
VOICES has a working board comprised of v olunteers from the <br />membership. Paid staff is limited to our Artistic Director and <br />rehearsal accompanist – both part time. Stephen Futrell, DMA <br />(Associate Professor of Music, Elon Univ ersity) became the fifth <br />Artistic Director effectiv e June 2018. Our accompanist and concert <br />pianist, Shoko Abe, DMA, will continue for her fourth year in the 2021 <br />season. <br />VOICES presents four to six unique concert programs ev ery year to <br />collectiv e audiences of approximately 1,500. Programs reflect our <br />mission – in addition to classical choral repertoire, we offer music <br />from div erse cultures and periods that highlight works by <br />contemporary and local composers including new commissions and <br />national or regional premieres. And we frequently collaborate with <br />youth choirs. For example, in December,2019 Voices presented <br />Honneger’s Christmas Cantata with full orchestra in collaboration <br />with the North Carolina Boys and Girls Choirs. Cantari was slated to <br />present an all-Brasilian concert in March 2020, featuring Bahian <br />nativ e Caique Vidal accompanied by his drumming ensemble. <br />VOICES serv es adults (ages 18-87) who can’t imagine life without the <br />joy of singing! Our members liv e in Chapel Hill and Carrboro (68%), <br />Orange County (6%) and Chatham County (6% - primarily retired <br />former residents of Chapel Hill). An additional 15% come from <br />Durham County, with the remaining 5% trav eling from W ake and <br />Alamance. Since 2015, VOICES rosters hav e included nearly 400 <br />unique indiv iduals. Seniors comprise approximately 30% of Voices <br />and 12% of Cantari while graduate students comprise about 10% of <br />each group. <br />Historically, VOICES audience demographics reflect those of the <br />membership. Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents comprised 48% of <br />respondents to audience surv eys collected in December 2017 and <br />March 2018. Seniors made up 60% of Voices and 40% of Cantari <br />attendees (2018-19 data). These data, scheduled to be updated at <br />Spring 2020 concerts, will be gathered as soon as current restrictions <br />on concerts are lifted. <br />Audience engagement activ ities scheduled for next year include <br />increasing accessibility for a more ethnically and economically <br />div erse audience by prov iding free tickets to Seniors at Orange <br />County senior centers and to music and art students at East Chapel <br />Hill High School and a planned composition workshop with <br />instrumental and v ocal students at ECHHS. <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 9F1C561B-832A-4222-87B0-7A0980362B9B