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The Keys to Collaboration: Unlocking the Power of Partnership for Choral Organizations

Representing the National Endowment of the Arts people both in and out of the industry come together,
(NEA) is Ann Meier-Baker, Director of Music & Op- their collective impact amplifies the need for funding
era, who oversees grantmaking to nonprofit choruses, and support of music and music education.
chamber music organizations, jazz ensembles, and op-
era companies. Chorus America (CA) is represented Kim Sidey (CA): Choral singing is in-
by Kim Sidey, Director of Grants, who manages CA’s herently collaborative in nature. It taps
grantmaking activities, including the notable Music into our human spirit and desire to con-
Education Partnership program, which funds collabo- nect with others, so it’s no surprise that
rations between community singing organizations and partnerships can be key to promoting
schools. The National Association of Music Merchants choral singing. Collaborations join together people
(NAMM) Foundation is represented by president and from different groups, create spaces to reach people as
CEO, John Mlynczak. they are, and become a vehicle for sharing new ideas
The following commentary provided by these and shared creativity.
knowledgeable leaders dissects the anatomy of a truly
successful and impactful collaboration. From their sur-
vey of the national field, their expertise serves as pow- What are some best practices that you’ve ob-
erful testimony to how deeply choral music can make a served of impactful collaborative efforts that
difference through partnerships. While not every detail involve choral singing?
may be applicable to every choir, the ensuing responses
offer a knowledgeable perspective on how choral lead- Meier-Baker (NEA): Effective collaborations include
ers can leverage the ability of choral music to make a a few key elements. For one, the collaborators focus on
difference in the lives of their singers, audiences, and what they’re going to give to the project, not just what
communities. they’ll get from it. Collaborative efforts can magnify
the impact, but they also can significantly increase the
amount of work and attention that each partner has to
What role do collaborative efforts play in the contribute.
art of choral singing? Second, the most valuable collaborations are often
not choruses working with other choruses. Rather,
Ann Meier-Baker (NEA): Choruses partnerships can be most powerful when different kinds
are all about collaboration. I once heard of organizations work together to address an issue of
Anton Armstrong put it this way: “You’re overarching concern to their community. One example
a stand-out in choral singing when you of this is the Urban Voices Project, an affiliate of the
don’t stand out.” Choral music depends Street Symphony in Los Angeles. They provide acces-
on singers who listen, who pick up on one another’s sible community singing and music education to un-
contributions, and weave what each voice has to offer housed individuals in Skid Row. They also offer special
into the greater good. Each member must give a little events throughout the year that connect participants to
here and take a little there in an effort to selflessly nur- social services and health care.
ture the music for a whole that is greater than the sum Another example comes from rural Utah. To com-
of its parts. bat the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, the Moab Music
Festival collaborated with Japanese American com-
John Mlynczak (NAMM): Collabo- poser and musician Kenji Bunch to create a work
ration among ensembles nourishes the that shone light on the terrible history of confinement
overall public view of the arts. By bring- camps for Asians in the 1940s. Star Trek actor, author,
ing people together, collaborative efforts and activist George Takei—who, with his family, spent
strengthen perceptions of music advoca- four years in two internment camps—agreed to be-
cy, policymaking, and workforce development. When come the narrator for the piece. The partnership be-

40 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2024 Volume 65 Number 3