(Written for the International Choral Bulletin of the International Federation of Choral Music) I was asked to write about inclusion. It is impossible to overstate the importance of understanding our inconvenient assumptions that keep us from involving men and women who are incarcerated in the arts as well as in our lives. I am who […]

Our friends at Chorus Connection have created an excellent primer on the various forms of possible Federal aid currently available. We recommend you start here if you need an overview: https://blog.chorusconnection.com/new-pandemic-relief-funding-for-your-chorus This post summarizes a couple of key issues that some organizations are facing as they make time-sensitive decisions on which path to follow. The situation […]

2020 March:  Uncertainty. Distance. Temporary?  Zoom. April:  Flexibility. Pivoting. Giving up on pants. Virtual Choirs.  So. Much. Zoom. May:  Unprecedented. Search for engagement.  ZOOOOOOM! June: Long-term plans. Re-invention. Settling in.  Zzzzzz… July:  New reality. Planning. Zoom. But also long walks, phone calls, innovation, and brainstorming. My sister, Laura Compton, wrote the following (shared to social […]

Many organizations and businesses, including many GALA choruses, released official statements condemning racism in the wake of the public execution of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Some of these statements were heartfelt, some were painfully missing the point—filled with trivializing clichés about “how similar we are despite our differences,” invalidating the specific anguish being articulated by […]

I live 5 blocks from the intersection where George Floyd was killed. In the days and weeks after his death our neighborhood was transformed into what I can only imagine must feel like a war zone. Helicopters and sirens circled 24-7, convoys of camouflaged national guard trucks patrolled our streets, curfews were set, and white […]

“I can’t breathe.” These are the last words of George Floyd and Eric Garner. It’s also a symptom of the generational trauma experienced by African-American communities during 400 years of systemic racism in the service of white supremecy. In these words we hear the voices of the untold numbers of Black people killed by law […]

from GALA Choruses Board President Dwight Joyner: I turned to my husband this morning and asked, “Does it feel as though our world is falling apart?” Pandemic Hungry children  Covid-19 response mismanagement and politicization The deaths of loved ones and icons And now the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in my hometown […]