Te Deum, Inc. General Information Contact Information Nonprofit Te Deum, Inc. Address 6641 Mission Rd. Prairie Village, KS 66208 Phone (913) 671-2304 Website www.te-deum.org Facebook facebook.com/tedeumchamberchoir?fref=ts Twitter twitter.com/ Email matthew@te-deum.org 1
Mission & Areas Served Statements Mission Statement Te Deum, Inc.'s vision is to see sacred music's significance, relevance, and quality enhanced in our community. The mission of Te Deum Chamber Choir is to perform a diverse choral repertoire in a uniquely relevant context, and to create a musically inspiring, spiritually stirring experience. The mission of Te Deum Antiqua is to provide Kansas City with a professional ensemble dedicated to historically informed performances of early music. Background Statement Te Deum was founded in 2008 as a single ensemble dedicated to presenting sacred choral music of the highest quality. The organization currently has two ensembles, Te Deum Chamber Choir and Te Deum Antiqua. The Chamber Choir performs a diverse repertoire of sacred choral music, with a history of dedication to contemporary repertoire. The ensemble's repertoire includes such mid-to-late twentieth century composers as Arvo Prt, Francis Poulenc, Ola Gjeilo, and many others. While some of the group's performances include contemporary arrangements of traditional pieces, the ensemble also performs twentieth century contemporary works not typically performed in concert due to their difficulty, such as James MacMillan's Te Deum, which the Chamber Choir premiered in the Kansas City area in 2011, Herbert Howells' Requiem, and Benjamin Britten's Ad Majorem Dei Gloria. Te Deum Chamber Choir's concert presentations have grown from an average of four per year (two each semester) to six per year. The ensemble has developed new fans and supporters throughout the Kansas City metro area, and has found welcoming audiences in Lawrence, Kansas. Antiqua presents at least two concerts per year. Between the two ensembles, Te Deum is engaging audiences with high quality choral music in at least half a dozen concerts per year, making it one of the more active small performing arts organizations in the region. Since its founding, Te Deum has solidified its status as one of the premier choral organizations in the Kansas City area. As Patrick Neas, program director for RadioBach.com and music columnist for the Kansas City Star, has noted: Choral music cognoscenti know that the Te Deum Chamber Choir presents some of the most sublime concerts in town. The ensemble is led by the Artistic Director, Matthew Shepard. Mr. Shepard believes that choral music should be presented in such a way that audiences can relate to it on a deeper, more personal level. Mr. Shepard is a graduate of William Jewell College and holds two master's degrees in music from UMKC's Conservatory of Music and Dance. Impact Statement 2013-2014 was another successful performance season for Te Deum! The Chamber Choir continued to perform high quality sacred music at increasingly high levels of refinement and beauty. The Chamber Choir grew in both size and sophistication, and continued to expand its audience base in Lawrence. Te Deum also premiered a new ensemble, Te Deum Antiqua. This ensemble, devoted to historically accurate performances of early music, will help Te Deum further its mission of seeing sacred music's significance, relevance, and quality enhanced in our community. Achievements: Te Deum established the Te Deum Antiqua ensemble, which involved a successful Founder's Circle fundraising effort, demonstrating significant interest and support for this ensemble's mission.the Te Deum Chamber Choir grew in size to 32 members, and actually increased its standards for singers' technical and musical proficiency as it grew.te Deum Chamber Choir performed two world premieres of works by commissioned composers. Both were in attendance for the performances which generated a great deal of positive feedback from audience members.te Deum doubled the size of its Lawrence audience, increasing the organization's exposure beyond the Kansas City metro area. Goals: Increase collaboration with orchestral professionals, particularly for the Chamber Choir's spring 2015 performance of riks Ešenvalds' Passion and Resurrection.Grow the Board of Directors, with an eye toward diversity and expanded skill sets to help develop strategies to grow the organization's audiences, both in size and diversity. To pursue this goal, Te Deum has joined Board Bank, a board member recruitment service for offered by the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership.Increase audience size while introducing an admission fee in the form of a suggested donation for Te Deum Chamber Choir concerts.continue to develop Te Deum's reputation as one of the finest choral ensembles in KC. 2
Needs Statement Te Deum's current needs include: More diversity in both board members and audiences. To help accomplish this, Te Deum has engaged with Board Bank, the Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership's board member recruitment service, and has stated its preference for increased racial and ethnic diversity.commissioning more works from composers.purchasing a riser system that would enable both ensembles to be more agile in arranging singers on a stage, increasing the number of possible venues.engaging in additional marketing outreach in publications with broad impact, such as the Kansas City Star, the Independent, and Kansas City Star Magazine. CEO/Executive Director/Board Chair Statement Te Deum is a vibrant performing arts organization that thrives on the passion and dedication of its artistic director and founder, its singers, its board of directors and its volunteers. Now in its seventh season, Te Deum is fortunate to be at an exhilarating crossroads: We have earned a solid reputation of performance excellence in the community and are now challenging ourselves with our next exciting chapter. We consider ourselves fortunate to perform in Kansas City's current energetic arts community. Te Deum benefits from talented singers eagerly seeking an opportunity to perform sacred music at the highest quality, as well as a base of generous supporters of the arts. Our impact reaches many people in many different ways from the novice patron of sacred music who finds himself enraptured by compelling literature that surprisingly speaks to him spiritually to the middle school student whose choir class is greatly enriched by a teacher who was inspired by her rehearsal with Te Deum the night before. Te Deum constantly challenges itself in seeking the best way to do what we love to do: Perform sacred music in a uniquely compelling way that awakens and enlivens our audiences musically as well as spiritually. We challenge ourselves throughout the organization beginning, of course, with an outstanding selection of literature and singers. The effort to make our concerts the very best extends out to every detail connected to a performing arts organization: -Should we commission more pieces from young composer to further support future of the arts and music? -Should we consider a new performance venue so we can bring our sound to new audiences? We believe by challenging ourselves with these questions and more ensures an unstoppable future for Te Deum. Something you will often hear me and others involved in Te Deum say is: I want to do everything I can today that will help Te Deum be an even better organization long after I am involved. After all, I want that novice patron of sacred music to always have access to an amazing spiritual experience and that middle school choir student to always feel the excitement and joy one can only get from music. Service Categories Performing Arts Music Singing & Choral Groups Areas of Service Areas Served Areas MO KS 3
Programs Programs Te Deum Chamber Choir Description Te Deum Chamber Choir provides 6 concerts each year, 3 each in the fall and spring. Concerts are performed in Kansas City, MO; Mission, KS; and Lawrence, KS; Past locations have included: Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Village Presbyterian Church, Southminster Church, Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Lawrence, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Lawrence. The Chamber Choir will present the concert Prince of Peace in the fall of 2014. This concert focuses on the concept of peace as exemplified by Christ, and then calls on the listeners to contemplate their own response to that message of peace. The ensemble's spring 2015 concert will feature David Lang's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion, along with Eriks Esenvald's Passion and Resurrection, which will feature a paid soloist and orchestra. Category Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other Performing Arts Population Served General/Unspecified,, Short-Term Success Te Deum Chamber Choir seeks to perform sacred choral music of the highest quality possible in order to establish a deep and personal connection between audience members and the music. Te Deum gauges the success of the concert performances in any number of ways, including audience size, positive feedback from audience members, and positive reviews from artistic community media. 85% of singers will be challenged by the repertoire, and 90% of singers will express a desire to continue singing in the group. Long- Term Success Te Deum's ultimate goal for all its ensembles is to connect audience members to the music on a deeply personal level, emphasizing the music's wonderful texts and personal relevance, so as to profoundly impact audience members' hearts and minds while providing those members a thoroughly enjoyable musical experience. The Chamber Choir's goal for its singers is to have a fulfilling and challenging experience as vocal artists. Te Deum wants its ensembles to be sought-after outlets for artistic expression amongst choristers in the Kansas City region, and as such strives to keep the level of musical proficiency as high as possible. This is demonstrated by not only the growth in the Chamber Choir's size, but in its musical capabilities as well. Program Success Monitored By Te Deum will gauge the success of its programs based on a combination of factors, such as audience size, audience feedback, critical reviews, and an audience satisfaction survey. The audience satisfaction survey, which Te Deum will conduct once each performance year, will solicit feedback from Te Deum's fan base. 75% of survey respondents who report attending at least one Te Deum performance will report that they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the performance's musical quality. 4
Examples of Program Success Te Deum Chamber Choir's 2013-2014 performance season was an emphatic success. The fall 2013 concert, Of Saints and Angels, drew nearly 600 people throughout the metro area. The ensemble performed for the first time in Leavenworth, KS, as a special guest of the First Presbyterian Church's Community Concert series. The concerts were roundly praised by audience members. The spring concert, Universal Expressions, saw the ensemble performing two world premieres by commissioned composers Daniel Knaggs and Philip Rice. Speaking about Rice's piece, The Unspeakable Names of Stars, Steve Ozark, the owner of a local talent agency, said, Thank you for your brilliant and moving performance at Trinity on Monday. You have created an outstanding ensemble! I found [your performance] to be one of the most magnificent aural experiences I've had in years. 5
Te Deum Antiqua Description Category Te Deum Antiqua is a professional vocal ensemble dedicated to performing early music (Medieval era through the early Baroque era) in a historically informed and artistically excellent manner. The ensemble is comprised of some of the area's finest vocalists, the majority of whom are professional musicians with advanced degrees in music. Many hold teaching positions at the high school and university levels. Antiqua members are paid a modest stipend for their participation. Te Deum Antiqua will present the concert Palestrina Goes Baroque in the fall of 2014. This concert will feature Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli as arranged in 1619 by Giovanni Francesco Anerio, and will be presented along with a chant from the Liber Usualis. Antiqua's spring 2015 concert, A Spanish Requiem, will feature Tomas Luis de Victoria's Officium Defunctorum, one of the most complete requiem mass settings ever written. Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other Music Population Served General/Unspecified,, Short-Term Success Long- Term Success Program Success Monitored By Te Deum Antiqua seeks to present early choral music that touches hearts and minds. The ensemble strives to present the music in such a way that helps the audience experience the music and the text in order to form a deeper and more personally relevant connection with the music. Antiqua also seeks to inform audiences regarding the literature's historical relevance. Te Deum gauges the success of the concert performances in any number of ways, including audience size, positive feedback from audience members, and positive reviews from artistic community media. Te Deum's ultimate goal for all its ensembles is to connect audience members to the music on a deeply personal level, emphasizing the music's wonderful texts and personal relevance, so as to profoundly impact audience members' hearts and minds while providing those members a thoroughly enjoyable musical experience. Te Deum Antiqua also has a long-term goal of fostering an appreciation of early music within Kansas City's artistic community, and to connect audiences with compositional and artistic techniques that underpin much of the music of later periods. Te Deum will gauge the success of its programs based on a combination of factors, such as audience size, audience feedback, critical reviews, and an audience satisfaction survey. The audience satisfaction survey, which Te Deum will conduct once each performance year, will solicit feedback from Te Deum's fan base. 75% of survey respondents who report attending at least one Te Deum performance will report that they were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the performance's musical quality. 6
Examples of Program Success The biggest success of Te Deum Antiqua was the effective Founder's Circle fundraising effort that brought the ensemble into existence. Antiqua's concerts in the fall of 2013 and the spring of 2014 were well attended, considering that 2013-2014 was the ensemble's inaugural season. Approximately 100 people attended each semester's concerts. An example of the ensemble's artistic success can be seen in KCMetropolis.org's review of the October 2013 concert, Journey to the Renaissance. The reviewer stated, [Antiqua] proved that these eras of music can be just as interesting and relevant as those more familiar to modern ears the evening was an excellent debut concert for the new ensemble, and those who have given up on medieval and Renaissance music would do well to explore the repertoire again, especially with such expert a guide as Te Deum Antiqua. CEO Comments As Te Deum approaches its seventh season, I am filled with wonder and pride at how much Te Deum's musicians have accomplished. We continue to grow on a multitude of fronts. The Chamber Choir is growing simultaneously in size and quality. More singers of very high quality have sought membership in the ensemble. The size of the ensemble has increased to 30 vocalists while maintaining rigorously high standards of musicality and artistry. I am proud that so many fine musicians from Kansas City's artistic community are finding a home in Te Deum Chamber Choir. As the size and quality of the Chamber Choir has grown, so has the literature available to the ensemble. The choir has been able to perform larger works with more parts, taking full advantage of the full, rich sounds that such a large and talented ensemble can produce. Te Deum has grown in terms of its base of generous supporters. As Te Deum secures its place as one of the top performing ensembles in the Kansas City area, it has seen individual giving increase. This has enabled the group to take on ever more exciting programming, including an orchestra joining the Chamber Choir for the spring of 2015. I am also extremely pleased to welcome Te Deum Antiqua as the organization's newest ensemble. After our successful presentation of J.S. Bach's Mass in B-minor, I realized that Kansas City's artistic community mosaic was missing a piece: early music. The literature, composition techniques, and performance practices developed during the medieval era up to the Baroque era were fundamental to all the famous masterpieces that came after. In order to help audiences more fully appreciate better-known literature from later musical eras, Antiqua seeks to develop within audiences an appreciation of those fundamental sounds and techniques from these earlier periods. Antiqua is comprised of some of the most sought-after vocalists in the Kansas City area, and we are proud to present them to the Kansas City community. Te Deum now enters its seventh season. Throughout the organization's existence, we have demonstrated artistic longevity and fiscal responsibility. We have also continued to develop our board of directors and our organizational structure and procedures. This has all led to increased effectiveness for the organization at all levels, and has helped to situate Te Deum as an effective member of Kansas City's thriving arts community. 7
Leadership & Staff Executive Director/CEO Executive Director Debra Skodack Term Start June 2012 Email debraskodack@uwgkc.org Experience Debra Skodack currently serves as both the Board President and the de facto Executive Director. Debra brings to the position the experience of working at one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the region. Her knowledge includes, of course, marketing and communications in addition to fundraising, donor relations and community outreach. Debra is longtime Kansas Citian with community connections through her work at United Way as well as her tenure as a journalist at the Kansas City Star. Staff Paid Full-Time Staff 1 Volunteers 40 Retention Rate 100% Plans & Policies Organization Has a Fundraising Plan Organization Has a Strategic Plan Management Succession Plan Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Whistleblower Policy Document Destruction Policy Yes Yes Under Development Yes Yes No No Government Licenses Is your organization licensed by the government? 8
Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Ms. Debra Skodack Company Affiliation Greater Kansas City United Way Term June 2013 to June 2015 Board Members Name Mr. David Kinerk Ms. Cindy Kueck Ms. Linda Odell Ms. Debra Skodack Mr. MJ Stockton Affiliation Nebraska Furniture Mart Rolf, Perrin and Associates, P.C. Hallmark Cards, Inc. Greater Kansas City United Way William Jewell College Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 4 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 2 Female 3 Unspecified 0 Governance Board Term Lengths 2 Board Term Limits 0 Board Meeting Attendance % 0% Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Yes Under Development Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 100% Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 100% Constituency Includes Client Representation Yes Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 12 9
CEO Comments Te Deum is fortunate to have a very qualified, dedicated and involved board of directors. It is a team of longtime Kansas City residents from throughout our community. We are employed at some of the community's most civic-minded organizations, including Hallmark Cards, KCUR and United Way. Te Deum's board membership is diverse in many ways from what our members do for a living - sales, nonprofits, public relations, higher education, finance and theology to whether we live in Kansas or Missouri. The diverse composition of the board allows us to make sound decisions based on thorough discussion and an enormous amount of passion to pursue the vision and missions of Te Deum and its ensembles. Several board members have deepened their understanding of board responsibilities by taking time off from their jobs in order to attend professional workshops and webinars. The Te Deum Board of Directors thrives on its excellent relationship with Te Deum's artistic director, who attends all board meetings, and the ensembles' singers, through personal attendance of rehearsals and a singer representative who is on our advisory board. There is a belief among the board members that these relationships, which bridge performance and business, are vital to having a successful performing arts organization. Finally, each member of the board of directors has a deep appreciation for music and fine performances, which is what draws us to Te Deum. All of us on the Te Deum Board of Directors are strong supporters of the Greater Kansas City arts community both as donors and as audience members, and we're excited that Te Deum is an important part of that community. 10
Financials Fiscal Year Fiscal Year Start July 01, 2014 Fiscal Year End June 30, 2015 Projected Revenue $35,879.00 Projected Expenses $35,879.00 Endowment Value $0.00 Spending Policy Income Only Percentage 0% Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Total Revenue $18,789 $27,757 $11,008 Total Expenses $25,844 $28,013 $11,205 Revenue Sources Foundation and Corporation $16,414 $28,257 $4,904 Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal $0 $0 $0 State $0 $0 $0 Local $0 $0 $0 Unspecified $0 $0 $0 Individual Contributions $0 $0 $0 Indirect Public Support $0 $0 $0 Earned Revenue $2,375 $0 $5,879 Investment Income, Net of Losses $0 $0 $225 Membership Dues $0 $0 $0 Special Events $0 $0 $0 Revenue In-Kind $0 $0 $0 Other $0 ($500) $0 11
Expense Allocation Program Expense $18,092 $22,094 $5,891 Administration Expense $1,964 $1,478 $5,314 Fundraising Expense $5,788 $4,441 $0 Payments to Affiliates $0 $0 $0 Total Revenue/Total Expenses 0.73 0.99 0.98 Program Expense/Total Expenses 70% 79% 53% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 35% 16% 0% Assets and Liabilities Total Assets $3,355 $10,409 $10,161 Current Assets $3,355 $10,409 $10,161 Long-Term Liabilities $0 $0 $0 Current Liabilities $0 $0 $0 Total Net Assets $3,355 $10,409 $10,161 Short Term Solvency Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities -- -- -- Long Term Solvency Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% Top Funding Sources Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar -- -- -- Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? No Goal $0.00 Foundation Comments FY 2014, 2013, 2012: Financial data reported using organization's internal financial documents. Foundation/Corporation revenue line may include contributions from individuals. Created 12.25.2018. Copyright 2018 Greater Kansas City Community Foundation 12