New Haven Chorale General Information Contact Information Nonprofit New Haven Chorale Address PO Box 1897 New Haven, CT 06508 Phone (203) 776-7664 Web Site Web Site Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Email business@newhavenchorale.org At A Glance Year of Incorporation 1950 Organization's type of tax exempt status Organization received a competitive grant from the community foundation in the past five years Public Supported Charity Yes 1
Mission & Areas Served Statements Mission The Mission of the New Haven Chorale is to present excellent choral music to the greater New Haven region through public performance and community outreach, to enable singers to improve their musicianship, and to be an integral and active member in the cultural life of its community. At the heart of the New Haven chorale's mission is SERVICE: service to its members, to its larger community, and to the corpus of historically significant and outstanding contemporary and classical choral repertoire. A Great Opportunity Description <div>on May 6, the New Haven Chorale will produce "Let There Be Light!" in New Haven to be performed with students from the Hartt School of Music, members of the Manchester Community College chorus and Madrigal Singers, young students from the CT Children's Choir and the Hartt School Orchestra.</div><div> </div><div> Through this collaborative effort, the Chorale hopes to inspire young musicians to continue their studies, improve their musicianship and provide them with an extraordinary opportunity to perform great masterpieces in two magnificent venues under the direction of two highly regarded conductors. The Chorale welcomes Edward Cumming for a powerful and uplifting performance featuring two major masterpieces from the choral canon. Faure's luminescent</div><div> " Requiem", a work of beauty and consolation, and Luridsen's transcendental masterpiece, "Lux Aeterna", dedicated to his mother who inspired him to become a musician. Be bathed by these glorious masterworks in the stunning acoustics of Woolsey Hall This program will be energetic, accessible, poignant, lively and bold. More than 275 committed and dedicated singers and instrumentalists will produce an inspirational afternoon at Woolsey Hall on May 6, 2018</div><div> </div><div>our educational initiatives and mentoring opportunities will open doors for new generations. Out devotion to musical excellence, nurturing local musicians, and serving the community through choral concerts has kept the Chorale unique and dynamic for 67 years in which our member have collectively donation well over two million hours of their lives! This project will help us to continue our legacy to help musician of all ages improve their music skill and showcase their talents and growth for the benefit of the community. </div> A Great Opportunity Ending Date May 06 2018 2
Background The New Haven Chorale is an auditioned, 85-voice, professionally-conducted, volunteer chorus devoted to serving the Greater New Haven community by nurturing local choristers, presenting extraordinary performances, and using music creatively to make a difference in people s lives. Our performances, which have been described as "electrifying" and "deeply moving," raise spirits and help fund local non-profits. Our educational initiatives and mentoring opportunities open doors for new generations. We expand the scope of choral art by commissioning music and showcasing Connecticut composers. Our devotion to musical excellence, nurturing local musicians, and serving the community through choral music has kept the Chorale unique and dynamic for 65 years in which its members have collectively donated over two million hours of their lives! The Chorale began in 1950 as part of visionary conductor Robert Shaw's chorale movement. Grass-roots efforts began to improve choral performance nationally and enrich communities culturally by founding organizations to tap the power of passionate amateurs devoted to musical excellence and to using choral music to do good works locally. The New Haven Chorale's founder, Alden Hammond, a Shaw protégé graduated from Yale on the GI bill, saw an opportunity in New Haven's passion for the arts to employ great choral music to create community and change lives. For six decades--through the post WWII era, the Cold War, the turbulent 60's, and the dawn of a new millennium--the New Haven Choral has been New Haven's musical voice. Community service has been at the core of the Chorale's work beginning with its first two performances in 1950 benefiting local non-profits, cheering hospital patients, and celebrating the lighting of New Haven's Christmas tree. That tradition continues today. Currently our mission and services are as follows: (1) help local singers improve their musicianship through voice training, intensive rehearsals, performance opportunities and challenging repertory; (2) stage concert performances, with its opportunities to collaborate with local arts colleagues, learn and perform masterworks and provocative repertoire, and celebrate the musical traditions of New Haven audiences; (3) provide outreach performances at public events, senior communities, and other in-the-community venues; (4) foster educational programs and mentoring, including the Student Singer Program with its $1,000 scholarship, and the Students- Free-with-ID attendance policy; (5) commission new music and showcase the work of Connecticut composers. 3
Impact Past Year Top Accomplishments an exciting, creative year that ended on a very upbeat note. (1) Our Halloween concert was an enjoyable and meaningful experience for children and choristers alike. Families were admitted without fee if they brought a child in costume and all were invited to attend the after-concert party hosted by Chorale members.young students who attended a concert for the first time were thrilled with an opportunity to step to the podium to conduct the Chorale. They enjoyed the concert and the party which followed. It was a wonderful and positive learning experience for over 120 students. (2) Community outreach - many of our members stepped forward to volunteer for performances at the Children's Hospital and area senior centers.(b) Our outreach helped to broaden and diversify audiences and membership. (3)Expanded our collaborative efforts with concerts featuring members of area college and children's choruses. (4) Our May concert of "Modern Masterworks" was an outstanding success. The chorale along with students from Manchester Community College, Hartt School of Music, the Hartt School Percussion Ensemble and the CT Children's Chorus brought audiences to their feet with this magnificent productions performed in both Hartford and New Haven.(5) A Holiday Concert, presented in December at St. Mary's Church was enthusiastically received and a run out performance for was produced for seniors at Evergreen Woods. in North Branford.(6) During the year, the Chorale's Music Director taught a class at St Martin de Porres to introduce students to the delights of choral singing. Because the school did not have a music teacher in place, the Chorale supplied a student teacher for classes once each week to continue the work started earlier in the year. The project was an outstanding success, one which the Chorale hopes to continue in 2018. Current Year Goals -New Haven Chorale will continue its outreach and community services in an effort to contribute to the health and well being of our region, attract broader audiences, and contribute to the cultural life of the community. We plan:(1) a new Halloween program, free for children and their families, featuring "spooky music", fun filled facts about choral and classical music, a post concert reception for children attended by children and our members in costume, and take home goodie bags for the children will be provided; We hope to build on the enthusiasm started last year when many young students, attending a concert for the first time, tried their hand at conducting the Chorale.(2)perform a Holiday concert featuring music of Handel and Vivaldi as well as holiday favorites. The afternoon performance on Dec 2 at St. Mary's Church on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven will feature Louise Fauteux, a celebrated soprano. (3)produce "The Water Is Wide" on Sunday, February 25 st Bethesda Lutheran Church, Whitney Avenue, New Haven. This will be a lovely winter concert featuring a wide variety of choral settings of some of the most beloved folk melodies. (4) Produce "Let There Be Light" on May 4 in Hartford and May 6 at Woolsey Hall in New Haven. This will be a collaboration with the Hartt School of Music, Manchester Community College and CT Children's Chorus, a program which will mentor over 170 college age students and 30 elementary school children. It is be performed in Hartford at the Hartt School of Music and in New Haven at Woolsey Hall. (5)Continue the outreach performing for seniors in residences and for children and veterans in hospitals.(6) Continue to develop our important program of mentoring young students exposing them to the beauty of great music and the joy of singing. Building on the program at St. Martin de Porres Academy to serve as a prototype for other area schools is a priority as is expanding our collaborations with local schools and colleges to bring more older students into our mentoring program. Needs Our most pressing needs are as follows. (1) Funding our educational programs for inner city schools, special performances, collaborative endeavors, and free-to-the-public programs featuring special repertoires and themes (described in the Chorale's major initiatives under Impact) to cover development and production expenses, equipment rental and extra collaboration costs. (2) Fund increased use of part-time staff, interns and consultants to enable the Chorale to increase its community outreach and to continue improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency. (3) Fund expanded mentoring programs, possibly including an Education Director position, to allow Chorale members to spend more time mentoring students and others in the community (as described under Programs). (4) Attract volunteers from outside the singing membership to help produce concert programs, since members are currently overextended, and address the Chorale s self-diagnosed need to increase diversity. (5) Raise funds and engage volunteer staff to expand audience development so that the Chorale s musical offerings are available to more people in area communities and attract a broader, more diverse audience. The need to attract young singers to join the Chorale and encourage student singers to take advantage of our student singer program is of utmost importance.(5)hire personnel to assist in the conversion of an outdated filing system to a cloud based archival system in order to preserve our 66 year music and history in perpetuity. 4
CEO Statement Alice Hummel is Executive Director of the Chorale. Working closely with the Chorale Board, she takes the management role very seriously and embraces the views expressed in previous editions of this statement. Ms. Hummel writes: I am acutely aware that the Chorale s future success will depend on its ability to grow and diversify its membership and audience, to present innovative and compelling performances, to expand its communityservice offerings, and to build community awareness of the enduring value and relevance of choral music. The Chorale observes the steady decline of audiences and funding for arts organizations in many communities, counts itself fortunate to work in as culturally vibrant environment as New Haven, and takes very seriously its responsibility to keep choral music fresh and useful in its community for current and future generations. Chorale members are quite passionate about their pursuit of musical excellence and their desire to put choral music to work in service to their community, which I have found quite moving to observe up close. These dynamics in the Chorale are propelling it forward in a significant evolution from an all-volunteer organization to one still volunteer-driven but professionally managed to leverage the greatest impact from this community cultural resource. I feel very proud and invigorated to continue in the management of such a dedicated, creative, and forward-thinking organization. The Chorale recognizes the need to focus on this self-transformation,from an informally managed community group to a formally managed non-profit organization with a community service orientation, that remains "volunteer-fueled' and self-governed yet imposes on itself a professional standard for management. I am confident that implementing this strategy will tap the power of its volunteers in community service, while operating with the effectiveness and efficiency needed to leverage those resources and not waste them, and leading to sustainability in this changed economic environment. There is an opportunity for the Community to recognize the good work and contributions made by the Chorale. Too often, the bias about funding small art organizations because they don't touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, overshadows all the benefits the community does receive from groups like the Chorale. It make funding harder to attract and expansion of outreach, creation of new programs much more difficult. Using sound fiscal principals, the Board has moved gradually over the course of several years to bring about this transition in a way that makes economic sense, preserves the fiscal stability of the organization, and maintains essential programs. Utilizing the skills of the Executive Director, the Chorale has several new programs starting this season, the Chorale is poised for a great leap forward. I feel personally very excited and humbled... 5
Board Chair Statement A native of New Haven, I grew up in a very middle class household of parents who were children of immigrants, parents who appreciated the value of education and the choices it afforded in life despite the fact that neither had more than a high school education. Music was always in the background, however my brother playing Autumn Leaves on the piano, the opera Andre Cheniere playing on the HiFi console during visits to my grandfather s. Early Sunday mornings my father listened to records of Richard Tucker, Giuseppe de Stephano, and Renata Scotto and operas containing arias that occasionally induced him to try out his voice to hysterical effect. I bring this up as an indication of the magical power of music to provide extraordinary joy to ordinary lives. Music, and singing in ensemble particularly, has had and continues to have, a profound effect on me. I believe that introducing young people to the benefits of choral singing and music-making in their lives is an essential part of the Chorale s mission. For that reason involving young people in our performances when possible and interacting with them in schools is essential to keeping our organization meaningful in the community, growing in diversity and size, and evolving throughout the 21st century. After a long career in education, the last 30 years in the Milford public schools where I served as the English coordinator for middle and high school, I am now retired. In my estimation education is the key to transforming lives and communities. I do not mean this in an academic sense necessarily, for one can be educated by exposure to new things and availed of opportunities, as I was to singing in a chorus in the 7th grade. I owe my choral singing throughout high school and college and my long participation in the Chorale to this exposure. When young children step to the podium and conduct a few bars with the baton in hand at our Halloween performance or when we join with students at St. Martin de Porres in rhythmic exercises or in singing, we are shaping the future and perhaps changing the course of lives. When children join us at concerts and I see the proud faces of their parents hearing a full program of classical music, some for the first time, I realize that these efforts are no less meaningful or valid than providing our members with a place and program to prepare music before audiences. Yet the budget for our mission cannot be realized with the comparatively small proceeds from ticket sales or chorale fundraisers, to which members give generously. The Chorale has endeavored to increase the diversity of its membership and provide quality performances of choral music before broader audiences. It has assumed greater advertising costs at its financial peril. We are constantly balancing our desire to enhance the experience we provide for our members and for the community... Service Categories Primary Organization Category Arts,Culture & Humanities / Singing & Choral Groups Secondary Organization Category Education / Areas Served Bethany Branford Cheshire East Haven Guilford Hamden Madison Milford New Haven North Branford North Haven 6
Orange Shoreline Wallingford West Haven Woodbridge Other The Chorale serves the South Central Connecticut area by training local singers, concert performances at area venues, outreach performances in the community, benefit performances to raise money for local non-profits, performance and commissioning of work by area composers, and collaboration opportunities for area soloists, ensembles, and arts organizations. This year as in some recent years, the Chorale will perform in Hartford with the opportunity to mentor over 100 students from the Hartt School of Music and students from Manchester Community College The Chorale plans to increase member, Board, and audience diversity in future to reflect service-area demographics better. 7
Programs Programs Annual Concert Series Description As the Chorale's largest program, the concert series serves several purposes: member education, community cultural enrichment, promotion of Connecticut composers, and advancement of the choral arts. Programming goals include: singer educational growth, performance opportunities for colleague artists and ensembles through collaborations bringing less-performed music to audiences, celebration of community musical heritage, and artistic exploration of great ideas and issues of community interest. Each season offers 3-4 primary concerts, mostly in New Haven venues, some with multiple performances. Recent collaborators included: The Hartt School, Manchester Community College, CT Concert Opera, Ct. Children's Chorus, Trinity Boys and Girls Choirs, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, The Heritage Chorale, and The Neighborhood Music School. Recent themes included: Black History Month; French, Hungarian, Jewish, and Latin American music; and music from humanity's search for peace. Commissioning and premiering Connecticut composers' work helps create new music. Budget $160,000.00 Category Population Served Program is linked to organization s mission and strategy Short Term Success Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other / Music General/Unspecified / Families / Children and Youth (0-19 years) Yes 1. Excellent choral music performances brought to New Haven audiences, at least three formal concerts per season and multiple informal performances. 2. Community arts colleagues gaining increased access to learning and performance opportunities through Chorale performance projects, in at least one major concert each season. 3. Less-performed repertoire being brought to local audiences. 4. Musical traditions of local ethnic, religious, and historical communities being celebrated through themed concert programming. 5. Connecticut composers having their choral music performed, including aspiring young Connecticut composers. 6. New choral music coming into being via commissioning. 7. Children and young people attending choral music concerts. 8. People feeling uplifted and inspired by listening. 9. Performing members growing as vocal musicians and community cultural resources. 8
Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success 1. People coming to understand more deeply the meaning of their lives, to appreciate the potential of their lives, and to celebrate the hope and joy in their lives, through their encounters with inspiring and uplifting choral music. 2. Development of a greater sense of community in New Haven, of common ground and shared purpose, through the community exemplified by the inherent collaboration and selfless teamwork of choral music. 3. People being inspired to find new and creative ways to support local non-profits due to the Chorale's example of benefit performances and other music-based outreach projects. 4. Great classical and contemporary choral music being preserved and reinvigorated for future generations. 5. The choral and classical music audiences of the future being gathered and stimulated. 6. Future generations being educated and inspired to engage in choral music for their own lives, the advancement of the art form, and the enrichment of their community. Measures of success include: concerts performed, collaborations implemented and numbers of collaborators, numbers of concerts involving celebrating local musical traditions, audience counts at each concert including children and young people, Connecticut composers performed, new music commissioned, and local non-profits benefited. Measuring tools include: audience surveys conducted at most concerts to measure attendance and audience satisfaction, member surveys to measure personal musical growth and satisfaction, soliciting feedback from collaborators, and semi-annual planning retreats to assess outcomes and take stock. Audience attending the concert performances last season totaled just under 1,400 people. The audience for the Chorale ensemble's appearance on WTNH has been quantified through the station's polling and testing at 42,000 adults. 9
The Paul F. Muller Student Singer Program Description The Paul F. Mueller Student Singer Program supports auditioned area high school, college, and graduate students in their development as choral artists. Named for former Music Director Mueller who founded it in 1990, this program underwrites students' membership costs: dues, music, and performance attire. Students participate in all Chorale activities, rehearsing and performing with the full Chorale, experiencing music of a scope and complexity rarely accessed in school. Other benefits include personal mentors from the Chorale membership, and the opportunity to apply for the program's $1,000 scholarship awarded annually to a Student Singer continuing vocal studies at the college level. Since its inception, this program has provided a challenging and nurturing learning environment, and thrilling performance opportunities, to more than 85 Connecticut students, many of whom have gone on to musical careers of their own as performers and teachers. Budget $2,000.00 Category Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other / Music Population Served Adolescents Only (13-19 years) / Adults / Program is linked to organization s mission and strategy Short Term Success Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Yes 1. Young people actively involved in learning and performing great music not usually available in school programs, for educational and inspirational purposes. 2. Young people launched on further musical studies or careers in music. 3. Young people inspired to pursue other creative or academic or professional studies by their involvement in great music at a young age. 1. Careers launched in music performance or music education. 2. Other professional or creative or academic careers launched. 3. Long-term positive impact on music performance and education. 4. Long-term contribution to the arts, and to the world in general. 5. Life-long love of music in particular, and of learning in general, catalyzed by early participatory experiences of great choral music. Measures of success include: number of student-singer-program participants each season, rate of retention of students over multiple seasons, number of former students continuing in musical studies and eventual careers in music performance or music education. Measuring tools include: membership counts, mentoring discussions with current student singers, exit interviews with graduating student sungers, on-going communications with alumni, and post-graduate collaborations with alumni as accomplished adult performers. 10
Examples of Program Success Examples of success include: (1) growing number of student participants in recent years, three this current season, totaling over 80 since program inception in 1990; (2) several music teachers active now, and; (3) at least three known active professional opera singers, one a successful finalist in the Metropolitan Opera's 2011 competition, and one already active on the international opera stage; and (4) alumni feedback include the following statements: "At first it was hard but I learned so much." 2001 "I found it very challenging to be in a room full of mentors...exposed to music so rare and heavenly that it was as if it had been summoned by angels." 1998-99 "The tutelage of experienced and enthusiatic musicians, and their nurturing camaraderie, challenged and taught me more than I ever immagined." 2007-2009 "It opened my heart to classical music and led me down a path I would not otherwise have imagined walking." 1994 11
Philanthropy Description Tapping the power of choral music to change lives in the community through benefit performances has been a fundamental Chorale activity since its founding, a tradition that continues. Chorale members feel strongly that using the art of choral singing to support other causes and for inspiring social justice is an important function. The Chorale has raised amounts from a few thousand dollars to over $10,000 for other local nonprofits even though it is not primarily a philanthropic organization. The Chorale remains committed to tapping the power of the arts, especially choral music, to make a difference in community lives. Beneficiaries, selected by the board, over the years have included: Neighborhood Music School, Hartt School of Music, St. Martin de Porres Academy, the Greater New Haven NAACP, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, and Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, St Theresa's Church and the Hamden Children's Center. Budget $20,000.00 Category Population Served Program is linked to organization s mission and strategy Short Term Success Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking, General/Other / Fundraising At-Risk Populations / Families / Poor,Economically Disadvantaged,Indigent Yes 1. Funds raised for local non-profits. 2. Numbers of non-profits benefited. 3. Number of arts colleagues included in collaborative benefit projects. 1. Creative and/or long-lasting programs created or supported by benefit projects. 2. Inspiring other arts organizations, by example and by including them in collaborations, to tap the power of the arts to change lives in the communty. 3. Ultimately to leverage the arts' power to heal individual lives and grow community. Measures of success include: funds raised for local-nonprofits, number of non-profits benefitted, range of types and missions of non-profits benefitted. Tools of measurement include: post-project feedback from and interviews with beneficiary organizations, post-project feedback from collaborators. In the last season, the "Season of Giving," the Chorale raised $4,500 for the three local non-profits listed above. The most successful benefit performance of the last few years was one of the Chorale's "Sing for the City" series, "Chants for Children," that raised $13,000 to fund a new therapeutic drama program for The Children's Center of Hamden. 12
Music Education Description The heart of the Chorale's educational program is the challenging and nurturing training of its singing members. Pedagogically chosen concert repertoire, together with innovative rehearsal techniques, intense training in performance techniques, and camaraderie of caring and experienced fellow choristers stimulates Chorale members to improve vocal musicianship and grow as community cultural assets. The Student Singer Program makes this environment available to students. Collaborations allow others to learn side-by-side with Chorale members. Promising pilot projects explore new ways to apply Chorale educational resources in the community: visiting solo artists for Chorale concerts offering master classes at local schools while in town, and; music-teacher Chorale members mentoring at St. Martin de Porres Academy where musical training helps inner-city students develop discipline and focus to succeed academically and go to college. Themed children's concerts are also under consideration.the Chorale is striving to develop and broaden its mentoring program and initiatives with the goal of being able to bring the model to more schools which do not have funding for vocal music programs. Budget $1,000.00 Category Population Served Program is linked to organization s mission and strategy Short Term Success Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Examples of Program Success Education, General/Other / Extracurricular Music Children and Youth (0-19 years) / Minorities / At-Risk Populations Yes 1. Training singing members to become effective community musical resources, including expanded mentoring in local school programs and other musical volunteering involvements. 2. Choral music master classes by concert soloists organized at local schools. 3. Members mentoring in local school music programs. 1. Expansion of pilot program for musical mentoring at St. Martin de Porres Academy in New Haven. 2. Increased frequency of concert soloists offering master classes at local schools. 3. Ultimately building an educational arm of the organization, with a Director of Education position, to grow community music education activities and tap the power of members as musical mentors in the community. Measures of success include: member individual musical progress toward being able to mentor others, number of members mentoring in the community as volunteers, number of soloists offering master classes in the community. Tools of measurement include: feedback from schools receiving member mentors and interviews with member mentors. This program area is in its enception phase, with initial experiments for pilot projects for mentoring and master classes recently completed successfully, uncluding a master class at New Haven's St. Martin de Porres Academy by a Student Singer alumi Albert Lee who is now a professional opera tenor and who was in town serving as soloist in a Chorale season concert. Expansion of programs in this area is under development for implementation over the next three seasons. 13
Music in the Community Description Innovative Chorale performances have taken music out into the community since 1950 when the Chorale first helped light the city's Christmas tree and caroled at area hospitals. This program does not follow a set formula but seeks out new and unusual opportunities, watches for community needs, and responds to community requests, sometimes compensated and sometimes free. Chorale ensembles large and small have enriched a variety of community and private occasions and appeared at municipal events, organizational functions, and senior communities. The Chorale has provided choruses for Shubert Theater productions and performed for the benefit of The International Festival of Arts and Ideas. For 30 years Chorale members have caroled for patients and famlies at Yale New Haven Hospital's Children's Hospital on Christmas morning. The Chorale has performed veterans at the VA Hospital in West Haven, at St. Martin de Porres Academy for the entire school population, for the City of New Haven, for the International Arts and Ideas Festival, for seniors in residences who are unable to attend off-site concerts and presented the outstanding "Dialogue Continues" utilizing the power of beautiful chorale music to open a dialogue with a panel of community leaders about the serious issues facing our community and sharing ideas on how to work toward solving them. Budget $3,000.00 Category Population Served Program is linked to organization s mission and strategy Short Term Success Long Term Success Program Success Monitored By Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other / Music General/Unspecified / Aging, Elderly, Senior Citizens / People/Families of People with Health Conditions Yes 1. Number of performances in the community. 2. Number of opportunities created for members to enrich their community culturally. 3. Range of types of performances in the community, and degree of creativity or innovation involved. 4. Contributing to local arts events and other community organizations. 5. Maintaining of annual Christmas-morning program at YNHH's Childrens' Hospital. 1. Expanding opportunities for members to enrich their community culturally through a variety of musical-performance and music-based outreach projects. 2. Enriching a broad range of community cultural and ceremonial events. 3. Serving as a cultural resource for other organizations in the community in their own creative and performance projects, including a range of media and genres. Measures of success include: number of events and participants, number and range of other organizations served, satisfaction of organizations served and their audiences, challenge and satisfaction of member participants. Tools of measurement include: feedback from other organizations served and post-performance interviews with member participants in community performances. 14
Examples of Program Success Within the last year Chorale ensembles appeared in community performances at the Unitarian Society of Hamden to premier the Summer European Tour repertoire, at Yale New Haven's Children's Hospital for Christmas morning caroling, at the Pine Orchard Club, The Quinnipiac Club, The New Haven Country Club, and Whitney Center for a variety of fundraisers and corporate events, and at Evergreen Woods as community entertainment and enrichment. Total audience for these (7) events has been estimated at between 400-500 people. Program Comments CEO Comments By offering chorale music of special thematic interest, the Chorale has reached out to attract more diverse audiences by honoring the repertoire of significant segments of the area's population. The Chorale s leadership encourages members to focus on the following challenges related to sustaining growth and innovation while transitioning from all-volunteer management to professional management. We see the following program-related challenges, each of which presents its own synergistic opportunities: (1) the need to grow and diversify audiences, so that more people can benefit from Chorale program offerings, with opportunities for connecting with local communities currently less served and under-utilized as a resource for talent; (2) the community s need for improved access to Choral music and music education especially more education programs, in-community performances, and benefit performances to raise funds for area nonprofits with opportunities to connect with less-served populations that can help diversify the Chorale s membership profile and attract larger, more diverse audiences, as well as create meaningful mentoring and performance roles for members; (3) the need to acquire and stretch funds for special concert programming in order to keep choral music vibrant and relevant in the community, with opportunities for increased collaboration and multi-media performances, and; (4) the need to replenish and diversify membership and Board and to maintain the volunteer talent pool to serve and reflect the Chorale s home community better, with opportunities for enhancing community connections and drawing from community talent to help develop fresh programming. As the organization s leadership, we are pleased to observe the Chorale reaching steadily out into the community and expanding efforts beyond providing just excellent choral music and deriving satisfaction from doing so. The Chorale s expanded philanthropy, educational opportunities to support young singers, performances in the community, and increasingly creative concert programming deepen its understanding of its mission, and impel it to hone its strategies for carrying out that mission, as it transitions toward more integrated and active engagement in the cultural life of its community. We admire our members dedication to excellence and their determination to make a difference in their community. We look forward to leading them as they implement plans presently being developed to expand education programs and encourage diversity in the near future. If it is at all possible for the Chorale to develop relationship to generate the commitment of funders to support small arts organizations, the Chorale will be able to make great strides in contributing even more to the cultural life of the community 15
Leadership & Staff CEO/Executive Director Ms Alice Hummel Term Start Oct 2012 Email alys2@comcast.net Experience Upon receiving support from The Community Foundation to fund the position of Executive Director on a parttime contracted basis, the Chorale hired Ms. Alice Hummel in 2012. After an extensive search for candidates with strong development and leadership skills, Ms. Hummel was chosen for her strong business background and not-for-profit experience. Ms. Hummel possesses an impressive business-world track record as an entrepreneur. Until she sold her last business in 2006, she founded and successfully operated several companies. Her broad range of skills includes finance, strategic and long-range planning, public relations, advertising, and personnel management.in the notfor-profit world, Ms. Hummel has served on many Boards, including the New Haven Symphony Orchestra s, where she served as First Vice President, chaired the Development Committee, served on the Finance, Executive, Nominating, and Strategic Planning Committees, and, over a fifteen year period, produced many of NHSO s special events. Ms. Hummel also served on the Boards of the Birmingham Group, BHCares,The Visiting Nurses of South Central Connecticut, Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven, Neighborhood Music School, Friends of Yale New Haven Hospital, the March of Dimes, the Auxiliary of the Hospital of St. Raphael, and the Board of Governors of the Farms Country Club. In her role as President of the Friends of Yale New Haven Hospital for two years, she actively raised funds. In addition, Ms. Hummel chaired the 20th Anniversary Gala for Columbus House, chaired a major event for the Yale School of Music, in collaboration with Neighborhood Music School, and served on the Yale New Haven Hospital Gala committee. Ms. Hummel has recruited many Board members and committee members to work on fundraisers for many notfor-profits in the New Haven area. Since joining the Chorale, Ms Hummel has produced enormously successful Galas, handled all administrative functions for the Board, increased both sponsorship and grant revenue. With her proven ability in the community to improve the health and well-being of area not-for-profits, the Chorale is pleased to have Ms. Hummel in her capacity as Executive Director. Co-CEO Experience Please Note: the Chorale has no Co-CEO/Executive Director. Staff Number of Full Time Staff 0 Number of Part Time Staff 0 Number of Volunteers 110 Number of Contract Staff 4 Staff Retention Rate 100% Staff Demographics - Ethnicity 16
African American/Black 0 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 4 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Staff Demographics - Gender Male 2 Female 2 Unspecified 0 Plans & Policies Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Under Development Yes Years Strategic Plan Considers 3 Date Strategic Plan Adopted Sept 2013 Management Succession Plan? Under Development Organization Policy and Procedures Yes Nondiscrimination Policy Yes Whistleblower Policy No Document Destruction Policy No Former CEOs and Terms Name Term Ms V. Claire Jadulang July 2013 - June 2014 Dr. Alan Kliger July 2014 - June 2016 Formal Evaluations CEO Formal Evaluation CEO/Executive Formal Evaluation Frequency Senior Management Formal Evaluation Senior Management Formal Evaluation Frequency Non Management Formal Evaluation Non Management Formal Evaluation Frequency N/A N/A N/A N/A No N/A Collaborations 17
With a 67 year history of collaboration, the Chorale sees additional opportunities ahead for innovation and for financial sustainability by sharing audience and resources. The Chorale has collaborated artistically with area soloists and ensembles to offer new, under-performed and classic repertory, and to create performance and mentoring opportunities for musicians and its members. It has collaborated with the Yale Glee Club, Yale Camerata, Yale Philharmonia, Greenwich Choral Society, the Heritage Chorale, Hunter College chorus and symphony orchestra. It has worked with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Chorale, Orchestra New England, Alturas Duo, the Trinity Boys and Girls Choirs, the Elm City Girls Choir, the United Church Choir, Neighborhood Music School, Music Haven, Trinity Girls' Choir,Ct Concert Opera and the St. Martin de Porres Academy chorus and orchestra. The Chorale frequently partners with the chorus and symphony orchestra of the Hartt School of Music and commissions new work with area composers. Multi-media performances foster cooperation with artists working in other media and build bridges among the arts. The Chorale is very excited about its plans for a major collaboration with students and orchestra from the Hartt School of Music,students from Manchester Community College and Ct Children's Chorus. In addition we are in contact with other arts organuzations and non profits with the goal of developing new relationships and collaborations. We are beginning dialogue with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Gateway Community College, Quinnipiac University and the Neighborhood Music School with the objective of developing new collaborations. Affiliations Affiliation Year Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce 2005 Awards Award/Recognition Organization Year Annual Arts Award 10th Anniversary Commendation for Collaborations Arts Council of Greater New Haven 2007 The Heritage Chorale 2008 Comments CEO Comments Chorale leadership encourages members to focus on the following tactical challenges related to transitioning from all-volunteer management to professional management while sustaining growth and innovation. The Board of Directors sees the following management-related challenges, each of which presents tactical-level opportunities of its own: (1) The need to implement mission and strategic plan, with opportunities for more efficient use of resources and mission-driven innovation; (2) The need for fundraising in a challenging economy, with opportunities for new community connections, expanded collaboration, and improved efficiency, and; (3)The need for organizational transition, with opportunities for improved efficiency, greater leveraging of volunteerism, and growing Executive and Development roles into separate, full-time Directorships that will become self-funding, advance financial sustainability, and optimize management. The Board recognizes a special institutional challenge in the need for greater Chorale diversity. The Chorale plans to expand methods of attracting audiences from less-served community populations, and for soliciting audition candidates to increase member diversity to reflect more nearly that of its service area over the course of the next three seasons. Expanding the Governance Committee s Board cultivation into year-round work will support greater Board diversity. The Executive Directorship provides the ability to open high-level dialogues with community leaders to identify new opportunities and determine an effective course of action. The Board takes special interest in these initiatives. 18
Among current committee work, we support important efforts to update the Strategic Plan and develop a new Communication Plan, both of which will provide clear templates for improved community service, organizational functioning, and manageability, as well as more effective communication and coordination among Board, staff, membership, and the community. We also endorse networking efforts with fellow arts and community organizations to explore options for our mutual future of community service, including our memberships in the Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Connecticut Choruses, The New Haven Arts Council, The Shoreline Arts Alliance, and Chorus America. The Chorale leadership welcomes these challenges and embraces these opportunities as it moves ahead in its commitment to provide exceptional choral music, enhance the cultural life of the entire community, and put choral music to work making a difference. 19
Board & Governance Board Chair Mr. Robert Scaramella Company Affiliation Retired Educator Term July 2016 to June 2018 Board of Directors Name Mr. Ronald Barber Ms Amanda Hayward Dr. Alan Kliger Mr Donald Kohn DMD Mr. Bruce Larkin Ms Jacqueline McFarlane Mr. Ronald Miller Ms Shanonda Nelson Ms Wanda Pizzonia Mr. David Stein Esq. Dr. Linda Waldman MD Dr. Robert White Mr Carl Wies Affiliation Community Volunteer Self Employed consultant, Venture Partner at CT Innovations, Board of Gordonstoun America Foundstion, Executive Chairman of Hoba Therapeutics VP, Tale New Haven Health retired Dentist Community Music School, Centerbrook, CT and Music Director of Eastern CT Recorder Socierty Higher One Plaatsdale Associates Accountant for Genovese & Wonnenberger, CPA retired pastor, Board Member of Wallingford Emergency Shelter Withers Bergman, LLP - Attorney retired pediatrician Retired Physician retired architect Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 1 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 13 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 9 Female 5 Unspecified 0 20
Governance Board Term Lengths 2 Board Term Limits 3 Board Meeting Attendance % 67% Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 10 Written Board Selection Criteria Written Conflict of Interest Policy Yes No Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 100% Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 14% Constituency Includes Client Representation No Standing Committees Finance Operations Membership Communications / Promotion / Publicity / Public Relations Board Governance Production Strategic Planning / Strategic Direction CEO Comments The New Haven Chorale works diligently to fulfill its mission In all its endeavors it remains committed to excellence, to its audiences, to the community, to its artistic creativity, and to young musicians. These passions drive the Chorale forward in its devotion to the arts and enable it to utilize the great choral music it provides to enrich experiences and change lives in the community it serves. 21
Financials Financials Fiscal Year Start July 01 2017 Fiscal Year End June 30 2018 Projected Revenue $179,605.00 Projected Expenses $184,050.00 Endowment Value $248,685.00 Spending Policy Income Only Percentage (if selected) 0% Detailed Financials Prior Three Years Total Revenue and Expense Totals Chart Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Total Revenue $138,577 $201,208 $120,507 Total Expenses $152,617 $187,774 $146,254 Prior Three Years Assets and Liabilities Chart Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Total Assets $262,918 $273,293 $258,566 Current Assets $262,918 $271,783 $257,056 Long-Term Liabilities -- -- -- Current Liabilities -- -- -- Total Net Assets $262,918 $273,293 $258,566 Prior Three Years Top Three Funding Sources Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount New Alliance Foundation $5,000 New Alliance Foundation $5,000 The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven $9,272 Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- New Alliance Foundation $5,000 Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount -- -- -- Solvency Short Term Solvency Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities -- -- -- Long Term Solvency 22
Fiscal Year 2017 2016 2015 Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? No Capital Campaign Purpose Our Capital Campaign, recently completed, was initiated to build an endowment to fund leadership staff and developing initiatives, transitioning the Chorale to financial sustainability for serving future generations. Goal $100,000.00 Dates May 2010 to Mar 2014 Amount Raised To Date 100000 as of Mar 2014 Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? No Comments CEO Comments The Chorale s leadership encourages members to focus on challenges of achieving financial sustainability as it continues its transition from all-volunteer to professional management in order to ensure growth and innovation. Financial challenges lie ahead, each of which presents opportunities as well. The Chorale has identified 4 needs:(1) fundraising in a challenging economy, with opportunities for varied community engagement, expanded collaboration, and improved efficiency; (2) Creative budgeting to sustain program growth and innovation; (3) building professional leadership by expanding Executive and Development roles into two distinct, full-time Directorships, and; (4) building an endowment to achieve financial sustainability by establishing enduring relationships with individual, organizational and corporate supporters. The Board is acutely aware that growing revenue and completing a capital campaign are challenging in this economy and the transitioning from public to private funding of the arts. The Board is gratified to see that the Capital Campaign been has raised $100,000 in pledges applied to the Endowment as they are collected. The Capital campaign has been completed, it has generated additional Endowment funding due to the enduring relevance of the Chorale s community-service mission. Plans are proceeding for establishing a New Haven Chorale Foundation to administer this endowment effectively on behalf of the community. Our leadership enthusiastically endorses the Chorale s commitment to sustain program growth, to innovate and to serve the community, in spite of many challenges, including finding the resources to make good on this commitment. We feel strongly that bold initiatives founded on sound financial planning, not retreat from the cultural arena, are the way to thrive. The arts can provide vital cultural leadership, especially in stressful times, to the community, and the Chorale proudly accepts this role along with the inherent financial responsibilities. The New Haven Chorale is not required to have an Annual Audit. It does use an accounting firm to generate its 990 statements. The Treasurer and the Finance Committee are charged with the internal monitoring of all accounts. 23
Foundation Staff Comments This profile, including the financial summaries prepared and submitted by the organization based on its own independent and/or internal audit processes and regulatory submissions, has been read by the Foundation. Financial information is inputted by Foundation staff directly from the organization s IRS Form 990, audited financial statements or other financial documents approved by the nonprofit s board. The Foundation has not audited the organization s financial statements or tax filings, and makes no representations or warranties thereon. The Community Foundation is continuing to receive information submitted by the organization and may periodically update the organization s profile to reflect the most current financial and other information available. The organization has completed the fields required by The Community Foundation and updated their profile in the last year. To see if the organization has received a competitive grant from The Community Foundation in the last five years, please go to the General Information Tab of the profile. Created 07.13.2018. Copyright 2018 The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven 24