Donor Spotlight: David Morales

“If you want to know what a person believes, just see what they do. That'll tell you what they believe.” 

David Morales grew up with this refrain from his mother in his ear. “I believe most people want to do something good,” he said earnestly, his smile evident even over a Zoom connection. “I show people that I think this in the hopes that it inspires someone else to think ‘yeah, I do want that for myself!’  I'm working to try and touch that compassionate spirit that I believe is in there.”  

David is the Artistic Director and Founder of Cantare in Oakland, California, where he has created a rare sort of community: one that’s rooted in listening, understanding, and compassion across differences.  Founded in 1987 as a choir of 24 adults, Cantare is now a thriving choral ecosystem with three adult choirs and robust tuition-free offerings for youth. With singers and audiences that are intentionally diverse, as well as repertoire and teaching methods that reflect this diversity, Cantare lives its mission to “foster a diverse community of compassion and understanding across generational, cultural, and economic boundaries through the beauty and power of choral music." 

In David’s view, bringing people together and preparing a piece of music share the same fundamental principles.  “I'm not trying to make flutes sound like violins,” he said. “I'm trying to make flutes and violins work together in a composition that includes all of those sounds.” David teases out these life lessons in his rehearsals, inviting conversation and reflection. “I’ll ask my choir, ‘Can you hear the tenors? No? Tenors, sing it alone. Do you hear them now? Sing as a group. Can you still hear the tenors? Now, where does this happen in your everyday life? You're too loud in this passage; when are you too loud in life?  When do you need to give in to hear another voice?’” 

Raised in a service-minded household, David knows firsthand that these conversations are key for children and adults alike. “My parents were all about service. We always had people living with us – we were housing refugees. We just knew that we're all fundamentally people.” Whether the Morales family was donating their time, talent, or treasure, the philosophy was the same: "You never loan, you just give.” 

David's love for music took root early, starting with lessons from the pianist at his family’s small Mexican church in Los Angeles. It wasn’t until he was an older child, attending a service at an English-speaking church, that he first heard a choir. “I was just a kid, but I got taken by the music,” David reminisced. “It opened my ears to sounds that brought me a lot of joy. I could see what was possible with these people working together. It captured my attention, their passion and their love of music.” Music and community began to merge in David’s junior high choral classroom, where Al McNeil - a prolific educator and former Chorus America Board member - took him under his wing.  “To see a person of color [as a mentor] at a young age made such a difference for me,” David shared.  

The experience of singing in the highly diverse LA public schools stayed with David as, in pursuit of a career in conducting, he found himself in more predominately white spaces. “As a Mexican, I didn’t feel at home in a lot of those white settings," he said. “But the ability to reach a larger diversity of people, to be out in the community, that interested me.” The tense political backdrop of the late 1960s into the 1970s lent urgency to David’s desire to work in the community, using music as a connector across divides.  That calling led him to start a community choir at 19, then to Oakland as the founding director of the Oakland Youth Chorus, and ultimately to Cantare. 

As both a conductor and community member, David feels a deep responsibility to give back in every way he can. “It’s not out of generosity,” David said when asked why he chooses to donate to nonprofit organizations, including Chorus America.  "I give as much as I can because I'm part of a society. It's out of belief in, and commitment to, what each organization is doing.”  

Why the belief in Chorus America? David attended his first Chorus America conference in the late 1990s alongside Cantare Board members. “We came back a different organization,” David said. “Not just because [Chorus America] provided resources, but because they provided a community of people who shared the same interest in trying to get answers.” As Cantare grew, Chorus America conferences became a vital place for its Board and staff to trade information and connect with peers. David also believes that Chorus America’s mentorship programs create key bridges across generations of choral leaders. As a mentor himself, he knows that these relationships are deeply impactful for both mentor and mentee. 

David is a member of Ostinato, Chorus America’s society of monthly donors. As a nonprofit leader, he knows that organizations value the stability of recurring gifts, but his real reasons for joining Ostinato are personal. “It’s because I'm not reassessing my commitment to an organization based on whether I have enough money to give,” he said. “It's a part of my giving pattern, and Chorus America is a recipient because it meets a mission that I want to be part of. It’s my responsibility to give to these organizations, just like paying the bills.” 

David's beliefs shine through his actions. They show in his approach to leading a radically inclusive choral community, in the relationships he builds with students, singers, and audiences, and in his personal approach to philanthropy. Put simply, he believes that there is power, beauty, and boundless potential for a better world when we come together to do something great. 

Does David’s philosophy on giving resonate with you? We invite you to join Ostinato, Chorus America’s society of monthly donors. Recurring gifts of any size make a sustained and vital impact as we strive to meet the choral field's evolving needs. To join David as a member of Ostinato, please set up your recurring gift today. Thank you!