Hello, Quire Members and extended family!
It is that time of year where, under normal circumstances, we would be gathering again for another year of music, community, and continuing our long tradition of being over-eager in greeting the new people who come to our first rehearsals. Alas, the scourge of the novel coronavirus continues to make such gatherings difficult, so we are having to take a different approach this year. The Board, however, remains committed to building an experience which still connects us all throughout this year, which will include musical elements, social elements, and even opportunities to push forward a central part of our organization’s mission — fighting for (and learning about) justice in our communities!
With that in mind, I re-start these announcement emails with a few opportunities and some notes for the Membership to keep in mind. Please read and reach out if you have any questions!
Leadership looks good on you!
The work of The Quire is made possible by volunteers like you! This year, we have two Board committees which could use your expertise and insight. Committees will meet once a month via Zoom to push forward the various topics that will generate proposals for the Board to consider. Committee work like this is not only a great way to have a direct impact on how The Quire works, but is also a way to get involved in leadership that may be more accessible for folks who have been interested in serving in leadership in the past, but felt it was a daunting opportunity. The current committees are:
- The Finance Committee, chaired by the Board Treasurer, will be the driving force for the financial well-being of The Quire. This committee will be handling both the formal budgeting and financial recommendations for the Board, and will also be key to the fundraising discussions in the organization. No formal background in financial work is needed, but it may be helpful. Anyone interested, please reach out to Amanda Schneider, Board Treasurer, at amanda@thequire.org.
- The Membership Committee will be focused on engagement this year — ensuring Members have adequate social opportunities, meaningful connections to the larger organization and within their sections, and the organization’s connections to the larger community! Planning of socials, organizing volunteers, and brainstorming ideas for engagement will be a major part of this committee’s work. Anyone interested, please reach out to Emily Jasper, Board Vice Chair, at emily@thequire.org.
So… what is this season going to look like?
The Quire’s 2020-2021 Season is, like much of the world, going to look unlike anything we have experienced before. The Board is continuing to formulate what we can reasonably achieve, in combination with the Artistic Staff and other supports. As a tentative outlining of changes to the season, the Board is considering:
- Holding back on a full Winter Concert and instead trying to evaluate the possibility of an alternative performance, whether recorded and debuted or presented in curated live segments. Either option requires significant planning to present something that highlights the skills and message of The Quire.
- Hosting casual, socially focused Zoom gatherings and — when appropriate and open to those who are comfortable — in-person gatherings to continue our sense of connectedness and community.
- Presenting Zoom-based discussions and workshops around various topics featuring local and regional facilitators.
- Evaluating if a 25th Anniversary Celebration will truly be feasible for the Spring Concert, or if we will need to hold off again to ensure the wonderful commissioned work gets the appropriate spotlight.
- Focusing specific energy around fundraising to ensure our financial foundation is well-maintained for whatever the future presents to us — whether GALA Festival in 2021, internal investments in music or staffing, or other opportunities which a healthy financial position would make possible.
How to stay engaged
The Quire is full of opportunities to stay engaged with what’s going on — some of it hands on, some of it just easy viewing!
- Board Meetings have resumed on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month, from 4:30 – 6 PM. Link to this information can be found on the Chorus Connection Home Page, and can also be found here. These meetings are open and anyone is welcome to call in to listen to the Board at work.
- Volunteer opportunities are available to support The Quire. Currently, The Board is seeking:
- Development Assistant, who will help track donor information, donations, and help acknowledge the wonderful donors who support our work. This position can have multiple people involved, and will likely be working closely with the Treasurer and other Board Members.
- Social Media Support, who will help post and generate content for the social media platforms utilized by The Quire. This will be a light-duty volunteer role, but will require some previous experience using Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
- Music Librarian, who will be the point-person cataloging, distributing, and collecting the music made available to singers. This role is likely to be a little heavy to get started in, but a new person will have plenty of support from the Board and Artistic Staff — and once the role is familiarized, it should be a generally limited ask on someone’s time.
- Please email Emily Jasper, Vice-Chair, at emily@thequire.org if you are interested in volunteering in any of these roles!
We, as the Board, are also open to feedback, concerns, and ideas about the upcoming season. Recognizing that this will be unlike any other year, it is important that any ideas be given the chance to help us make the best of oddball of a year. Please consider lending your thoughts, your time, your energy, or other support to The Quire to make this 2020-2021 Season just as memorable as those in years past.
Yours in song,
Nolan Petersen (he/him/his)
Chair, Board of Directors, The Quire
C: 319.853.8619 | nolan@thequire.org
The Quire of Eastern Iowa 