Hello Coquitlam Chorale Members,
I hope you are doing well and managing to enjoy the summer as best you can under current circumstances. The Board of Directors have met several times over the summer to discuss the Chorale's future course of action in light of COVID-19.
The Board has made the decision to cancel the upcoming fall season (September to December) to protect the health and safety of our members and our community. Unfortunately, singing is still a very risky activity during the COVID-19 outbreak and we want to be as proactive as possible with talks of the second wave potentially resurfacing in the fall.
I know how difficult not being able to sing with the Chorale has been for so many of you. It's definitely been challenging for me as I miss the camaraderie, the music, and simply seeing all your wonderful smiling faces on a weekly basis.
As many of you know, our main sources of income are membership fees and revenue from ticket sales from our seasonal concerts. This income is what enables us to pay Justin and Lorna's salaries, cover the cost of room rental for rehearsals, purchase our sheet music, have additional musicians, fund our website, pay for our storage locker, and more.
Looking to the future, the Board has been discussing and making plans for the 2021 Spring Season (January to April). We hope that by then things will finally be able to return to a new normal. However, in the event that it does not, we would like to propose a new strategy to the membership for bringing back music in the Spring in a different way.
In the event that concerts and large gatherings are still prohibited in the Spring, the Board would like to know how many of you would be interested in returning to the Chorale in the form of a "Hobby Choir" for the Spring Season.
Sessions would be reduced to 1 hour a week instead of 2, and we would be getting together to sing and make music under the direction and guidance of Justin and Lorna, but there will be no Spring Concert.
All members would be required to wear a clear face shield (which will be provided by the Board) and social distancing would be in effect and strictly enforced. It is important to note that because we will not have our usual revenue from concert tickets, the only way to make the Hobby Choir work is to increase membership fees for the Spring Season so that we can cover operational costs. The more members that are interested in returning to the choir, the lower the membership fee will be.
With all of this being said, if COVID is under control by the Spring and we are allowed to gather, sing and perform again, then that is what we will do!
The Board would like to get a sense of the membership's appetite for a Hobby Choir in the Spring. I have created an online survey and we urge all of you to please take the time to complete it. The survey should not take more than 1 to 2 minutes and all responses are completely anonymous.
To take the survey, please click the link below.
If you have any questions or need to chat, please don't hesitate to send me an email or give me a call at 604-764-2523. I miss you guys dearly.
Together in Song,
Ada Nadison
President, Coquitlam Chorale