A Letter from Catherine Dehoney

President and CEO, Chorus America

Dear friends,

Our community was hit very hard by the information in a webinar presented by Chorus America and some of our colleague organizations on Tuesday, “What Do Science and Data Say about the Near Term Future of Singing.” We’ve heard and read your reactions expressing strong emotions: grief, disbelief, anger, and—in some cases—steely determination to find a way forward. We share those emotions too.

Chorus America has announced the recipients of its 2020 awards program, recognizing a broad range of achievements in choral music, including artistic excellence, adventurous programming, innovative education programs, and lifetime service to the choral art.

As diversity, equity, and inclusion have increasingly come to the forefront for so many classical music organizations today, there’s a forum that has become a leading space in DEI conversations for the past five years: SphinxConnect.

Over the past several years, the leadership at ProMusica Arizona (PMAZ), a 100-member community chorale and orchestra based in Phoenix, has evolved into an all-women team. This wasn’t part of a strategic plan—artistic director and principal conductor Patti Graetz, concertmaster Meghan Ruel, executive director Yvonne Dolby, and board chair Jan Sandoz all stepped into their roles with the organization because they had specific skills to offer. But this leadership team has ushered in an exciting time of growth and collaboration—both internal and external—at PMAZ.

At Gisele Becker’s final concert as music director of Cantate Chamber Singers, she celebrated the end of her 25-year tenure in a unique way: conducting a piece side by side with music director-designate Victoria Gau. “I had requested a piece be written for my last concert that would be in part for two conductors,” said Becker. “Andrew Simpson, a very dear friend and our accompanist, wrote the piece to my husband Bert's poetry.

Since last fall, a cohort of Philadelphia-area choruses has been coming together for a series of workshops and online learning activities exploring issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their choruses and choral community.

Chorus America has announced the recipients of its 2019 awards program, recognizing a broad range of achievements in choral music, including artistic excellence, adventurous programming, innovative education programs, and lifetime service to the choral art.

Said president and CEO Catherine Dehoney, “Chorus America is thrilled to honor these exceptional choruses and choral leaders who inspire our colleagues and enrich our communities through their outstanding work.”