Chorus skating

[textualdeviance]

So, I went to chorus rehearsal last night for the first time in a couple of years. My recent history with the chorus has been sporadic, for various reasons, but I really do want to get back to singing--that being half of my "dream career state." It felt good--albeit a bit exhausting, because I wasn't singing right.

But there were also some very interesting announcements.


As anyone who's ever been a part of this group knows, the chorus has struggled pretty much its entire existence to stay afloat financially. In the past few years, for many reasons, membership has dwindled to a point at which it can no longer self-sustain, thus necessitating some Big Changes, which I'll explain in a moment.

The chorus has never made a ton of money from ticket sales. Virtually all of its income has come from the membership itself, in the form of dues and various fundraisers. Thanks (in small or large part, depending on whom you ask) to the Other Chorus in town and its subsidiary group, SLGC has kind of been the bastard child of the queer arts community. We've always been mixed-voice, always accepted a rag-tag bunch of folks, and never took ourselves too seriously--perhaps even when we should have.

A lot of things have gone well for the group during my quasi-hiatus time, but membership and cash levels really aren't part of that. And that has led to the decision announced last night, which is to cancel the winter concert, and instead spend the term working to rebuild the chorus (including a likely name change, something that really surprised me.)

I was really quite shocked at the announcement, but also excited, in a way. It's been heartbreaking to watch the group kind of wither (top membership, during my ~9 years there, was around 80 people, and now there are about 20) and I'd kind of been wondering if it was really just time for it to fade away. This rebuilding effort is a whole nother angle on things, and I really feel strongly that it can work. This isn't just the usual call for us all to break out the checkbooks or come up with new fundraisers, but a complete retooling of what the chorus is, how it's structured, and what it has the potential to be.

My love for the group and the people in it led me to spend a lot of time in the past working with its various management bodies, including a stint as board president. That really didn't work out very well, to be honest. I had some radical ideas, they didn't go over well, and then all hell broke loose for us with M's family stuff, and it just kinda went pfbbttt. I know there are still some members who weren't too fond of how I wanted to do things, and I suspect there's still a fair amount of bad blood here and there. (A bunch of queer folk who are also artsy types? C'mon. That's Drahma in a sack, right there.) I'd guess that 80-90% of past and current chorus membership at least sorta like me, but yeah, there are some sore spots, and they almost all come down to organizational issues.

Because of that experience, I'm hesitant to jump feet first into this rebuilding effort. I get very passionate about things, and I don't want to risk getting bossy and pissing people off. I know for certain that I really don't want to be in the driver's seat on any of this stuff. I'm not even sure I want to help navigate. But I think I at least want to sit in the back seat and point out interesting scenery and potential road hazards. One of the potential opportunities is being involved in the graphic rebranding, since I'm now actually trained in doing so, and would love the portfolio fodder. I may also get involved in the media marketing.

Of course, this also comes with potential pitfalls for the other half of my Dream Career State. If I get a job with a place that heavily restricts my off-duty activities, and they think that my moonlighting for a somewhat political nonprofit is a conflict of interest, I may be barred from even singing with the group. Which would suck. But I'm hoping it doesn't come to that.

Even though most of the folks at rehearsal last night were people I either didn't know at all or only know a little bit, it was still like coming home. There's a certain sort of energy in the group that has always drawn me to it, and I was definitely reminded of why I spent so many years involved in it in the first place. I'm dearly hoping that this effort is successful--for what it's worth, I have a good feeling about it--because the community needs this group, and it would be a damned shame to lose it.

So, consider this a call to all chorus alumni, friends and family on my flist: I know many of you just don't have time or energy for meetings or rehearsals, but if you can't sing or actively participate in the brainstorming sessions, please consider lending your ideas and energy in whatever way you can. I think there's some amazing potential here for the group to come back stronger than ever, but for that to happen, it will need its family to rally around it. I certainly plan to, within whatever limitations I have to put up with, and I hope the rest of y'all will, too.

Comments

[waterfaery.livejournal.com]

wow. gotta say, i'm tempted to help out too in some way.

but i thought years ago and still think now that asking to be the mixed chorus with smc and swc would be the best answer. i know there are good reasons to be independent... but probably precisely because i hold the contrary view i should sit back & be quiet and supportive in different way.

my favorite times then were when you, me, and llyra were singing in something else and the big group--along with rafe, lore, and the rest of the crew. we really did kick ass. if it can have been like that then, it could again.

[miss-swamp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we don't even have enough people for any kind of small group anymore, which is so sad for somebody like me who's finally getting bold. On the other hand, I think the big group actually sounds better than it did back then. I like being a big fish in the small pond, but we few can't do it all.

But it feels like there's a ton of positive energy around the re-build, so I'm hopeful.