GALA Choruses Financial Update
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GALA Choruses Annual Report 2018 Empowering LGBT Choruses as we change our world through song WE WILL NEVER BE SILENT 6.28.1969 Letter from the Board President GALA. Most of us in North America use it as shorthand for the LGBTQ choral movement. Many of us also use it as the name of that Festival we attend every four years. Like Kleenex, it’s a brand that’s become a common noun for the product. The nonprofit organization that is GALA Choruses Inc is, however, far more than a concept or an event. GALA Choruses is a mission in action, driven by flesh and blood people from our LGBTQ and allied communities. We work and volunteer every day to strengthen our member choruses, to make connections that bring our music and message to wider audiences, and to help build a world where all voices are free. ON OUR COVER — As the board president of our association, I have the unique privilege of experiencing GALA Choruses in action every day. Each morning my inbox tells me about our work: the teacher On June 28, 1969, a police raid of the resource center we are building to support LGBTQ students and trans voices, a chorus that Stonewall Inn—a gay club located on was helped by free assistance from our 411 program, the formation of a new chorus in Latin New York City’s Christopher Street— America, the plans for our next Festival in 2020. turned violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against As we take stock of the year, I gratefully acknowledge the work of our talented staff, our the police. The Stonewall Riots were dedicated Board of Directors, and the hundreds of volunteers who work on our committees, followed by days of demonstrations projects, and events. If you supported us with a charitable donation, thank you so much. You in New York and was the beginning have provided the fuel to take our work to the next level. of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer rights. And if you haven’t yet made a gift, let me ask you to consider how valuable our 190 member choruses are in creating affirming and inclusive spaces for our singers and audiences. Sadly there’s no escaping the reality that political turmoil and threats to the safety and dignity of LGBTQ people is crescendoing. The power of our voices is the antidote and your support of GALA Choruses is an investment in the world we deserve. Table of Contents Looking ahead, we can’t wait to see you and 6000 of your closest friends at Festival 2020 in From the President of the Board ........... 2 Minneapolis. Every four years, it’s the culmination of our association’s work, a showcase for the From the Executive Director .................. 3 talent and ingenuity of LGBTQ choruses, and a joyous celebration of our passion to sing and help change hearts and minds. Bring some Kleenex – you’re going to need them. 2019 Leadership Symposium ............... 4 Yours in Song, Online Resources for Teachers ............... 5 Connections Around the World .............. 6 Steve Smith Festival 2020 ........................................ 7 President, GALA Board of Directors GALA Staff and Committees................... 8 Financial Report ................................. 10 Member Choruses .............................. 11 2 Letter from the Executive Director 2018 has been a difficult year, as we watch the unending attacks on our democracy and many of the values we hold dear—respect, tolerance, decency. Each day seems to bring a new outrage, and we are emotionally exhausted by the indignation that seems to have become a permanent part of daily life. The arts have always played a role in protest and social justice movements. The songs of the civil rights movement, the feminist movement, and the labor movement are a part of our social fabric. The late Donna Red Wing commented at a 1995 GALA Leadership Conference, “Don’t ever tell me that you are not political. Don’t ever tell me that. You are our cultural warriors. You truly change and heal hearts and minds. You take the reality of what it means to be gay and lesbian and you make it public. You wrap it in the magic of your music and you present it as a gift, a gift to your brothers and sisters and as a gift to the larger community.” If cultural warriors were ever needed, the time is now. We must ask ourselves if we are doing everything we can to push back against the normalization of outrageous behavior. But, as importantly, we need to ask, are we looking to understand and address the root causes of the fear and insecurity that allowed a xenophobic, racist, misogynistic administration to be elected? One day the current administration will be gone, but the income inequality and institutional racism that created it will not. Our member choruses are singing songs of justice and protest. Many have gotten out of their metropolitan city centers to take their message to the surrounding regions. At the same time, new choruses forming in “red” areas are allowing us to consistently deliver our message more and more widely. Are we doing enough? Are we using every tool in our toolbox? We challenge ourselves at GALA Choruses and each of our member choruses to make sure that, when we look back at this era, we will be proud of the role that we played. Please consider a gift to GALA Choruses before year-end. With your support, our voices will continue to be poweful! Robin Godfrey Executive Director 3 2019 Leadership Symposium Tucson, Arizona is the location of the 2019 Leadership Symposium to be held February 15-17 at the spectacular Westin La Paloma Spa & Resort. Symposium includes workshops, roundtables, one-on-one consultations, social outings, and lots of opportunities to network with your colleagues. Workshops will include topics related to fundraising, programming, community engagement, management best practices, and other important aspects of chorus leadership. We’re excited to announce that internationally renowned a cappella clinician Deke Sharon is the featured director of the GALA Ensemble Boot Camp. Heralded as “The Father of Contemporary A Cappella,” Deke produces “The Sing-Off” worldwide (USA, Netherlands, China, South Africa), and served as arranger, on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal’s “Pitch Perfect” and “Pitch Perfect 2” and “Pitch Perfect 3” starring Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson. Four lucky ensembles will work with Deke throughout the weekend and perform for delegates on the final day of Symposium. The Symposium Singers chorus returns with nationally renowned conductor, Michael Hayden! Join GALA singers from choruses far and wide in a mass SATB chorus and enjoy a weekend of beautiful and challenging music, exploring vocal technique, informative workshops, and lifelong connections with singers from other GALA choruses. The weekend concludes with a Sunday performance for delegates at the GALA Symposium Luncheon closing event. In order to make Symposium affordable for the maximum number of choruses, fees are set to cover only the out-of-pocket cash costs of the event. The costs for staff time to develop and produce the event (approximately $24,000) are funded through GALA’s Deke operating budget. Sharon “No exaggeration: working with Deke Sharon “Michael is brilliant at bringing will fundamentally change you, how your together excellent musicality with ensemble works, and how you work with your theater, staging, and high-octane ensemble. Deke shares generously from his performing. I am thrilled that a new enormous depth and breadth of experience, generation of singers is getting the connecting you with a passion for singing opportunity to work with him!” that you may have never experienced before. — Bob Mensel, Portland Gay Men’s Michael He’s simply the best clinician I have ever had Chorus Artistic Director Hayden the opportunity to work with, ever.” – John Quillin, Managing Artistic Director, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte 4 Online Resources for Teachers No work is more important than our initiatives supporting queer youth. Our interactions with music teachers at national conferences and in schools, have taught us that teachers are looking for resources for their gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and gender non- binary students. Our focus is on creating resources for middle and high school teachers including print and video materials that are available through the GALA Resource Center. GALA Choruses will host a booth at the 2019 national American Choral Directors Association conference and will send out mailings to middle and high school choral music teachers. When appropriate, we will connect teachers with our local member choruses. The Teacher Resource Center on the GALA website already includes materials on gender language, print and video resources on transgender voices, inclusive choral repertoire, and information on creating gender inclusive spaces. More videos from the 2018 Transgender Voices Festival will be added by mid-fall 2018. GALA is working to see that the Transgender Voices Festival becomes an annual event! Generous support from Alan and Ken Braun along with matching donations from folks throughout the GALA family have funded GALA’s work with Queer youth. Our budget for 2019 includes another $15,000 for work in this area along with the $50,000 needed to support our youth choruses planning to attend Festival 2020. 5 Connections Around the World The LGBT choral movement continues to expand around the world and GALA supports that movement through its External Relations Committee. The committee meets monthly and includes representatives from choruses and choral associations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Mexico. The diverse membership of this committee facilitates conversations regarding international festivals, tours, and other developments in countries around the world. The GALA Board of Directors met last May in Calgary, Alberta, in conjunction with the Canadian Unison Festival, and will be meeting in November in Mexico City to support Coro Gay Ciudad de Mexico.