Strategic Planning

Articles

Making the First Hire

Don Lee | Careers, Governance, Management/Leadership, Operations, Strategic Planning

Hiring your chorus’s first employee is an important step. Here’s how to make sure you get it right. Read more

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Meet A Member: Mary Henriques, Pensacola Children's Chorus

Mike Rowan | Careers, Children/Youth

Each month, Chorus America president and CEO Catherine Dehoney sits down to have a conversation over the phone with one of our members. This January, she spoke with Mary Henriques, executive director of the Pensacola Children's Chorus. Read more

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Meet A Member: Gretchen Upholt, New York Choral Society

Mike Rowan | Profile

From chorus manager to member of a board of managers, Gretchen Upholt has a lot of choral and nonprofit experience. It all comes into play in her work with the New York Choral Society. Read more

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Bucks County Choral Society: How to Get the Most Out of Your Chorus America Membership

Kelsey Menehan | Governance, Impact/Value, Management/Leadership, Operations, Research/Data, Strategic Planning

A community chorus finds that the resources needed to grow the organization were just a phone call away. Read more

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Extreme Makeover: Community Chorus Edition II

Kelsey Menehan | Audiences, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Diversity, Fundraising, Impact/Value, Innovation, Management/Leadership

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. Read more

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Extreme Makeover: Community Chorus Edition I

Kelsey Menehan | Audiences, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Diversity, Impact/Value, Innovation, Management/Leadership

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 I of this two-part series takes a look at the chorus's image makeover and efforts to attract a younger and more diverse community. Read more

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Digging Deeper with Chorus America's Self-Evaluation Tool

Kelsey Menehan | Evaluation, Governance, Management/Leadership, Technique/Tool

Is your choral organization running like a well-oiled machine or in fits and starts? Chorus America’s Online Chorus Self-Evaluation Tool (SET) can help you answer that question. Read more

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Member Spotlight: Grant Gershon, Los Angeles Master Chorale

Kelsey Menehan | Conducting, Repertoire, Singing

Gershon’s vision as he begins his 14th season with the Master Chorale is to break down barriers in choral music and redefine the concert experience. Read more

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Back from the Brink

How the Minnesota Chorale Bounced Back from an Orchestra Shutdown

Kelsey Menehan | Audiences, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Fundraising, Impact/Value, Management/Leadership, Strategic Planning, Symphonic

What happens when a long-time relationship with an orchestra goes away—taking with it a third of your organization's income? Shock, dismay, and then a determination to rally around your core mission. Read more

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Member Spotlight: Brett Stover, Giving Time and Talent as a Member of the Board

Chorus America Staff | Adults/Seniors, Children/Youth, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Families, General, Governance, Impact/Value, Management/Leadership, Participation, Professional, Profile, Singing, Strategic Planning

Brett Stover grew up singing in choirs and has served on the boards of an array of music and arts groups in Cincinnati. Now he brings his business savvy and love of the performing arts to Chorus America's Board of Directors. "The more people who are singing, the better off we will all be," he says. Read more

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Resources

'Music Director Transition' Tool: Building Your Search Budget

Chorus America Staff | Careers, Conducting, Finance, Governance, Operations, Strategic Planning, Technique/Tool

Searching for new artistic leadership requires its own budget. This list of income and expense considerations will help. Read more

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'Music Director Transition' Tool: Annual Employee Performance Evaluation Guidelines

Chorus America Staff | Careers, Conducting, Evaluation, Governance, Strategic Planning, Technique/Tool

Ten helpful guidelines to help establish a healthy annual performance review process for the music director of your chorus. Read more

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'Music Director Transition' Tool: Action Plan Matrix

Chorus America Staff | Careers, Conducting, Governance, Sample/Template, Strategic Planning

A worksheet to help choruses plan for founding artistic leadership transitions. Read more

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'Music Director Transition' Tool: 4 Tips for Building Your Board

Chorus America Staff | Careers, Conducting, Governance, Recruitment, Strategic Planning

A founder transition requires strong leadership from the board. Is your board ready? Read more

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'Music Director Transition' Tool: 3 Key Transition Questions

Chorus America Staff | Careers, Conducting, Governance, Operations, Sample/Template, Strategic Planning

Questions to answer as you begin a founding music director transition. Read more

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Events

BOUNCE The Basketball Opera

Lexington, KY

Michelle Tabnick PR | Adults/Seniors, Audiences, Awards, CA News, Careers, Children/Youth, Civic Engagement, Community Outreach, Composing/Commissioning, Conducting, Diversity, Education, Evaluation, Families, Finance, Fundraising, General, Governance, Government/Policy, Health, History, Impact/Value, Innovation, Legal/Licensing, Management/Leadership, Marketing/Public Relations, Networking, Operations, Participation, Performance, Professional, Profile, Recruitment, Rehearsal, Repertoire, Research/Data, Sample/Template, Schools, Science, Singing, Social Media, Strategic Planning, Symphonic, Technique/Tool, Technology, Venue, Volunteer

Ardea Arts announces the World Premiere of BOUNCE The Basketball Opera. Performances will take place at Calvary Baptist Church Recreation Center, 150 E. High Street, Lexington, KY, on Friday and Saturday, November 10 & 11 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, November 12at 2pm. General Admission, $18, Students $9. For more information, visit www.ardeaarts.com/bounce/. Read more

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35th Annual Conference

Minneapolis, MN

Chorus America Staff | Composing/Commissioning, Education, Governance, Management/Leadership, Marketing/Public Relations, Networking, Operations, Strategic Planning, Technology

Chorus America's 35th Annual Conference is not to be missed! Featuring performances by nine of Minnesota's premier choruses, a massed youth choir, a morning sing with Garrison Keillor, and keynote speakers Marilyn Carlson Nelson and Melanie de More, among others, this Conference will inspire and educate. Read more