BCI Organizational Update May 2020
The positive spirit of choral communities never ceases to amaze me. Musically and socially we embody the phrase “e pluribus unum” – out of many, one. Through my career, I have had the responsibility to help lead choral organizations through times of tragedy and fear. The day after the 9/11 attacks, we made the difficult decision to hold rehearsal despite our fear of being in downtown Boston and it turned out to be a night of great comfort and support. During the 2008 recession, singers offered to make unsecured personal loans to help bridge a financial crisis and keep singing. Following the Orlando Pulse nightclub mass shooting in 2016, a hundred grieving singers came together on two hours notice to lead an outdoor vigil in song. As we navigate the COVID-19 crisis, BCI’s choristers have shown a similar spirit of generosity and grace.
So far, our singers have donated $123,580 to our Recovery Fund. More than half of those who were due tuition refunds have donated a portion back and overall more than a third of our 2020 registrants have already made a charitable gift. Thank you! Although we have successfully negotiated to reduce our cancellations liabilities by 25%, we still face a loss this year approaching $900,000. Your generosity will help us mitigate the damage.
BCI was also fortunate to be one of the nonprofits to successfully receive a loan of approximately $60,000 from the Small Business Administration’s Payroll Protection Program. All of this funding will be used to maintain staff employment at least through June 30 and, assuming the SBA maintains its stated guidelines, the loan will be converted into a grant upon completion of the terms.
Our Board of Trustees met virtually on April 18 and we decided to move forward with cautious optimism on two fronts. First, while no one yet knows when the trajectory of this virus will allow us to safely come together again to sing, we are thoughtfully and carefully planning BCI programs for summer and fall of 2021 so that we can be ready to go when the time is right.
Second, we are using this disruption in our schedule to re-imagine our mission beyond our traditional summer programs. We want BCI to be a hub of advocacy and online resources for the next generation of amateur choral singers. Trust me, we intend to maintain and grow our primary activity of creating exciting in-person experiences and performances, but after this crisis we hope to have emerged as a bolder, technologically savvier, and more diverse home for lifelong choral singing.
To make this happen, we have set an audacious fundraising goal of $250,000 to get us through this challenging year. This is 66% more than we raised last year, but we’re already half way there and this goal will help ensure that we can lift our voices together again and continue BCI’s traditions.
Being a choral singer teaches us many things. In a crisis I think our sense of “ensemble,” that ability to meld many voices into one harmonious sound, also prepares us for how to come together for the greater good. We are immeasurably grateful to those of you who have made a recent donation or given back part of your tuition refund to our Recovery Fund. We understand this is a complicated time, but if you are able to make a gift – small or large or anywhere in between – it will be an investment in BCI and our vision to be a home for lifelong choral singing for generations to come.
Be well, keep an eye out for our virtual opportunities to connect, and we promise to keep you updated on our progress.
Steve Smith,
President, Berkshire Choral International
