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How many Orange <br />County residents <br />does the organization <br />serve? <br />About 640 to date in FY24-25. (Based on 165 unique individual singers, <br />60% Orange County residents, and about 900 total audience, assuming the <br />same OC percentage.) <br />Please explain how <br />your organization <br />ensures diversity, <br />equity, inclusion, and <br />accessibility in its <br />programs and <br />operations. <br />In keeping with VOICES’ values of diversity and community inclusion, since <br />fall 2022, we have offered preferred pronoun stickers for singers to apply to <br />their name tags. Sections are referred to as “tenors and basses” or <br />“sopranos and altos” rather than “men” or “women” so that singers are <br />addressed by their voice part and not by gender. W e also updated our <br />concert dress policy to be gender non-specific and allow singers to choose <br />concert black attire that helps them feel comfortable on stage. <br />One of the most valuable tools that VOICES has to enrich the community is <br />through our repertoire selections. Exposing singers and audience members <br />to music from a variety of cultural backgrounds and musical styles invites a <br />deeper appreciation for the rich diversity found in the world of choral music. <br />VOICES is committed to hiring artists from diverse backgrounds whenever <br />possible. For example, our W inter 2024 concert featured Black soloists <br />Detra Davis, Lauren Harris and Gerald R. Knight alongside our regular <br />accompanist and concert pianist Dr. Shoko Abe, who was born and trained <br />in Japan. <br />VOICES is also committed to acknowledging various forms of economic <br />disparity within our community and seeking to reduce financial barriers that <br />may prevent both singers and audience members from engaging with us. <br />Since May 2024, we have offered sliding scale ticket pricing for all <br />performances. Our “Pay W hat You Can” program allows ticket purchasers <br />to select the price that is right for them, ranging from $5.00 to our standard <br />$20.00 ticket price. To date, about 10%+ of our audience has taken <br />advantage of this option. W e believe this is helping us increase our <br />community impact in terms of audience size overall but also by broadening <br />audience composition. W e expect to continue this practice at all our <br />concerts. <br />In addition to supporting our audience through our “Pay W hat You Can” <br />program, we also offer partial and full membership scholarships and a <br />reduced student rate for singers wishing to join the chorus. W e never want <br />financial barriers to stand in the way of anyone’s ability to join us. <br />Our membership and audience consist in large part of seniors. Based on <br />our most recent voluntary anonymous survey for W inter 2024, the chorus <br />was about 40% age 65 or older (projected based on responses from <br />approximately 55% of members). W e believe that singing together is a <br />particularly beneficial opportunity for the older adults in our membership; <br />and that providing cultural enrichment for seniors in our audience is an <br />important way that we contribute to the local community. <br />Docusign Envelope ID: 07544190-1278-4B7D-88D0-425195859546