Building our Communities, Building Our Choruses - GALA Annual Conference 2009

The realities of the current economy are staring nearly everybody in the face. Now, more than ever, it's essential to do more with less - particularly when you're a non-profit choral group. Perhaps more challenging, however, is to adhere to your group's mission when donations, concert and special event attendance, and grant funding continues to diminish.

To brainstorm on how GALA member choruses can survive and thrive under the current economic conditions, we will be gathering for our Annual Conference, Building Our Communities, Building Our Choruses, in Columbus, Ohio, from September 3 through 6, 2009. More than just an opportunity to meet and greet other members of the GALA family, this conference provides singers, managers and board members with opportunities to collaborate about audience development, financial strategies and strategic planning.

"Many of the groups that comprise GALA list social change as one of their key missions," remarked Robin Godfrey, General Manager of GALA Choruses. "While that mission is admirable and important, current financial conditions are forcing many organizations to abandon their standing approaches to performance and outreach. Instead, they need to continue to connect with and embrace both existing and new audiences, while cutting back significantly on the overhead involved in running their organizations. Needless to say, this all can be quite challenging, as what worked yesterday may simply not be possible to execute and sustain today."

Much of the conference revolves around the theme, Planning Your Chorus Activities Around Your Mission. Presenters and facilitators at the conference will help attendees examine how missions are integrated into programs and organizations, and how they can be effectively leveraged to targeted audience groups. Representatives from member choruses who have been successful in integrating mission and expanding outreach will share their stories and invite questions.

Don't Miss A Minute Of Annual Conference

There is something for everyone at Annual Conference. Highlights from the weekend's schedule include:

New Frontiers in Arts Marketing with Alan Brown

A principal of WolfBrown, Alan is a champion for innovation, change and sustainability in the nonprofit arts industry. As a researcher and consultant, he has studied audiences, visitors and patterns of cultural participation in almost every major market in the U.S. His work focuses on understanding consumer demand for cultural experiences, and on helping cultural institutions, foundations and agencies to see new opportunities, make informed decisions and respond to changing conditions. This is a particularly interesting time to hear what Alan has to say about marketing in the arts.

Ramona Wis Speaking About Her New Book

The phenomenal author, Ramona Wis, will be a major attraction at Annual Conference. Her new book, The Conductor as Leader: Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the Podium, has absolutely taken the conducting world by storm with rave reviews from nearly every magazine, website and journal. According to Wis, "The leadership role of conductors is, on the one hand, obvious. As leaders, conductors have the job of cueing entrances, holding fermati, and executing final cutoffs with a flourish. But there is so much more to musical leadership: Vision, Trust, Persuasion, and Character."

These remarkable sessions will bring a wealth of leadership literature to bear on the business of running a musical ensemble. The Conductor as Leader will inspire you to go beyond teaching notes and rhythms to learn how to build connections between people that enhance their quality of life.

Mass Chorus Performance

Delegates of conference will perform on the steps of the Ohio Statehouse as part of Summer Fridays at the Statehouse program from 12:00 to 1:00 pm on Friday, September 3. The performance will be the finale of the Statehouse summer program. Delegates will sing one or two pieces, and VOX, an ensemble from Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, will fill out the rest of the concert. Dr. Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director in Residence for GALA Choruses, will direct the mass chorus.

Between Grace and Fear; The Arts and Community Engagement in a Time of Change
Bill Cleveland, Presenter

In these challenging and exciting times, building caring and capable communities demands both a citizenry and institutions that possess the broadest diversity of energy and imagination. In response, many artists around the world are focusing on the issues and stories emanating from the broader community.

Bill's talk will explore the history and ecology of the arts and community engagement. It will address the kinds of opportunities and challenges GALA Choruses members encounter as they build bridges across community sectors. Calling upon research conducted in the U.S. and overseas for three recent and upcoming books on the subject, Bill will also share some of the ideas, information and learning strategies relevant to chorus and community collaborations that have emerged from the field.

GALA Choruses presents SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER
On Friday, September 4th, at 8:00 pm, GALA Choruses presents SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER in the Governor's Ballroom at the Hyatt on Capitol Square.

Fearless, bold, unapologetic, and freaking hilarious best describe Comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer. She's made a career out of telling the truth. And, the truth is, life is funny and no one is off limits. From her mom's last will and testament to her dog's embarrassing discovery, Suzanne shares stories that leave audiences in stitches.

The first openly gay comedian in the United States, Suzanne has delivered gay material to straight audiences in mainstream comedy clubs since beginning her career in the early '90s. After accepting a dare, she entered the world of comedy by accident and her life has never been the same since. Suzanne was the first lesbian comedian to garner an HBO Comedy Special, which earned her a Cable Ace Award nomination. Additionally, her performance on Late Night with David Letterman marked the first by an openly lesbian comedian.

Singers' Weekend

All singers are welcome to participate in the Singers' Weekend as part of GALA 2009 Columbus. The Singers' Weekend chorus will rehearse on Saturday and Sunday, and will perform as part of the Sunday Brunch. In addition to rehearsals the singers can attend workshops on various topics of interest to singers, such as choreography, making your voice the best it can be, singing various styles of music and more!

Small Ensemble Institutes

Small ensembles participating in the conference will have the opportunity to have one-on-one clinics with Dennis Coleman, Artistic Director of Seattle Men's Chorus and Seattle Women's Chorus. Performers will also have opportunities to attend the workshops comprising the Singers' Weekend track.

Small Ensemble singers should plan to arrive on Thursday evening and stay through Sunday to get the most out of the event. Small Ensemble singers are welcome to attend the Welcome Reception on Thursday, the All-Ohio Chorus Concert on Saturday evening, and the Sunday Brunch. All ensembles will perform at the Sunday evening Festival 2012 Celebration event, and will have at least one other opportunity to perform during the weekend.

Speed Dating With the Experts

Do you have a burning question that you'd love to have answered by a chorus industry leader? Do you want insight that goes beyond general information available in breakout sessions? Give Speed Dating a try.

Speed Dating sessions are 12-minute, one-on-one private consultations with leading industry experts, such as artistic and executive directors, consultants and board members who volunteer their time to provide you with knowledgeable answers and advice about issues that your own choral group is facing. This is an opportunity to discuss anything from fundraising strategies and attracting more tenors, to hiring and firing an executive director.



All-Ohio GALA Choruses Concert

On Saturday, September 5th at 8:00 pm, five of the eight GALA-member choruses that call Ohio home will perform for conference delegates. Be sure to see the members of the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, Columbus Women's Chorus, Dayton Gay Men's Chorus, MUSE, the Cincinnati Women's Chorus, and North Coast Men's Chorus perform.

To learn more about the GALA Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, visit www.galachoruses.org/events/conference2009 for schedule, ticket, registration and hotel information.