2022-430-E-Arts Commission-Voices the Chapel Hill Chorus-2022-23 Arts grants

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Orange County Arts Commission Powered by Submittable Title Voices the Chapel Hil l Chorus by Tamara Sheldon in 2022-23 Grassroots Arts Program Grant Application P.O. Box 3011 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515 US-0-NC United States 6266441520 tamara.sheldon@voiceschapelhill.org 06/10/2022 id. 26929817 Original Submission 06/10/2022 APPLICANT INFORMATION Please tell us about your organization. Organization Name Voices the Chapel Hill Chorus Mailing Address of Organization P.O. Box 3011 Chapel Hill, NC 27515 How did you hear about our grant program? OCAC Enews Did you or a representative of your orgnanization attend one of our grants training sessions? Yes Nature of Organization Arts Organization Organization Description Voices is one of the Triangle’s largest choral groups with a tradition stretching back 41 years. Our mission is to foster, sustain, and share the art and joy of choral music, and to enrich the community through the performance of music from diverse cultures and historical periods. Voices has an all-v olunteer Board of Directors that currently has eight members. Directors' terms are limited to three years to ensure that the Board stays fresh with new ideas and represents the full chorus. Voices employs two professionals: Dr. Stephen Futrell, DMA and Associate Professor of Music at Elon Univ ersity, joined as Artistic Director in 2018; and Shoko Abe, DMA, joined in 2018 as Accompanist. Voices is an umbrella organization that encompasses a large auditioned chorus of the same name, Cantari, an ensemble group of about 30 singers, and the biennial Summer Voices. Historically the large chorus has included up to 150 singers although that number has been significantly impacted by Cov id and now stands at 87 singers. The large chorus performs Holiday and Spring concerts that employ approximately 50-60 local symphonic artists. Frequently Voices collaborates with local choral groups for combined concerts. In our Spring 2023 concert we will collaborate with Raleigh Boys Choir in presenting ‘Carmina Burana’. Just prior to Cov id, the Board made the decision to fold Cantari into the larger symphonic chorus as a cost- sav ing measure. Cantari remains an identified group within Voices and we hope to reintroduce separate concerts for the group in the future. W e are delighted to resume Summer Voices in 2022 for the first time since Cov id, welcoming anybody who wants to experience the joy of singing in a chorus. Historically Summer Voices has attracted around 60 singers consisting of both Voices members and members of the public joining in just for fun. In the off years when the biennial Summer Voices does not assemble, Voices frequently takes a tour abroad. If circumstances permit, Voices will be touring France in the summer of 2023 to perform Faure’s ‘Requiem’. Approximately 80% of Voices’ membership liv es with in Orange County. In age we range from the twenties to the eighties with a skew (50%) toward our older members. We typically hav e about 10% students and 4-5% people of color. Ov er the past sev eral years Voices has mastered a remarkably div erse repertoire. In the abruptly cancelled concert in May 2020, Cantari was to sing Brazilian folk songs with Brazilian artist Caique Vidal. Voices was to sing a program titled “Music of the Americas” featuring selections from South and Central America, Canada, and Aaron Copeland’s ‘Old American Songs.’ For Voices May 2022 concert, celebrating our 40th anniversary, Voices commissioned an original work from local composer Dr. Todd Coleman. For our next two upcoming seasons Voices will be intentionally piv oting back to classic fav orites in a bid to recov er our pre-Cov id audience. Our Spring 2023 program will feature Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’, and in Spring 2024 we will present Mozart’s ‘Requiem.’ DocuSign Envelope ID: 4B2B49D2-B4B4-4397-AE2C-5AA9D33F13C3