SYMPHONY CHORUS OF NEW ORLEANS

Strategic Goals

Goal One: Recruit and retain excellent singers to stabilize the size and balance of the chorus. (20-25 sopranos, 20-25 altos,10-15 tenors,15-20 basses)

Goal Two: Produce, market, and present at least four excellent concert programs with professional vocal soloists and instrumental or orchestra accompaniment as appropriate.

Goal Three: Seek out and develop opportunities to collaborate with area arts, education, and civic organizations.

Goal Four: Promote and demonstrate progress in addressing issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.

Goal Five: Increase Symphony Chorus of New Orleans' capacity to accomplish its goals and model best practices to ensure effective management, operations, and governance.

Symphony Chorus of New Orleans makes a difference in the lives of our singers by offering opportunities for life-long learning, continual improvement, and the joy of shared musical experiences. We make a difference in the lives of our audience by dedication to high standards of artistic excellence. We make a difference in the lives of our community by programming masterworks of the choral repertoire, along with new music that addresses the issues of our own time and place.

Symphony Chorus of New Orleans' hallmark is creating rehearsal and performance experiences that are friendly, collegial, welcoming, and encouraging, and that bring performers, audience, and community together to experience the power and beauty of choral singing.

Symphony Chorus of New Orleans speaks with a strong and unified voice to increase recognition of singing together as an essential part of society, health-promoting activity, and a valuable means of community engagement.

Our primary strategy lies in recruiting singers and, especially, board members who can help us expand our fund-raising and social media connections.

Symphony Chorus of New Orleans has strong brand identity and audience loyalty. We have a strong core of volunteer singers and a capable and dedicated board of directors.

We have continued to produce a quality artistic product and have expanded our collaborations within the community. In fall, 2019 we produced two performances of Handel's Messiah in collaboration with the Chalmette High School Music Dept. and the University of New Orleans Chorale. The first, at the Chalmette Cultural Arts Center, and the second at the University of New Orleans - both new venues for us. During spring, 2020 we were forced to postpone performances of Haydn's The Creation due to COVID-19. A PPP grant allowed us to continue paying staff. We kept the chorus together for fall, 2020 working toward creation of a virtual chorus video of the premiere of Hussein Janmohamed's The Wedding, which we had helped commission as part of a consortium of choruses through Chorus America. During the spring, 2021 we began rehearsals using Zoom in hopes of being able to present an outdoors, spring-themed concert. As Covid restrictions were lifted, we were able to rehearse in person, and presented the program to a live audience at Deutsches Haus. Fall of 2021 saw the move toward return to live performance. We were again able to present a sold-out performance of Messiah in December at St. Mary's Assumption Church. In March of 2022 we were finally able to present the performance of Haydn's The Creation we had initiated before the pandemic. Our 2021-22 season will conclude with a performance of Dan Forrest's Requiem for the Living. We are working toward performances of Haydn Te Deum, Vaughan Williams Toward the Unknown Region, and Mozart Requiem in New Orleans in April, 2023 and then as part of MidAm's Festival of the Aegean in Athens and Syros, Greece in July of 2023