We asked the chorus leaders we interviewed for our 2018-19 Winter Voice article “Cause for Celebration” to pass along practical lessons learned from their experience planning anniversary seasons. The wisdom they shared ranges from knowing when to start to knowing when to stop.

North American choruses are anticipating a wave of major anniversaries in the coming years, and their leaders are hard at work preparing to mark the occasions. The most thoughtful celebrations honor a chorus’s past achievements, while laying the groundwork for an even stronger future.

For nearly half a century, Voices of Omaha has presented annual performances of Handel's Messiah without admission charge. In 2010, artistic director Edward B. Hurd laid out a challenge and a path forward: “We can do even more for our community.” Part II of this two-part series explores how the chorus exponentially increased its development efforts and shares "words to the wise" learned through experience.