Saturday, Aug 28, 2010
Westminster Choir College and Chorus America collaborate to offer management advice for choruses.
by Anne Sears
Chorus America, in collaboration with Westminster Choir College of Rider University, has published The Chorus Leadership Guide, a new book written by Matthew Sigman covering the most essential information about running a successful chorus, including the fundamental components of board leadership, artistic leadership, and administrative management.
“The choral field in North America has made great strides in the seven years since our last book,” said Ann Meier Baker, president and CEO of Chorus America. “The Chorus Leadership Guide addresses the changing landscape in arts management and represents the collective wisdom of the best and brightest choral leaders today.”
The Chorus Leadership Guide synthesizes interviews with dozens of conductors, managers, board members, and funding executives, as well as data from articles, surveys, and reports. It also features day-in-the-life profiles of chorus leaders, as well as access to a variety of companion online tools and templates not available previously. These include job descriptions, audition evaluation forms, bylaws, commissioning agreements, budgets, fundraising plans, and more.
“The prime objective of this book is to assist choruses in the United States and Canada to maximize their potential through applying a consistent set of principles in governance, artistic leadership, management, marketing, finance, and community outreach,” said Sigman. “The maturing of the choral field was evident in all of these areas as I got deeper in the research for this book.”
Sigman is a two-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for music journalism, a former editor of Symphony magazine, and a commentator for National Public Radio’s Performance Today.
“Chorus America and Westminster Choir College share a focused determination to further the choral arts and those who lead choruses,” says Dean Robert L. Annis. “With our shared commitment of resources and the time and insight provided by leaders in the field, we have the privilege of creating this custom guide. We hope it will help all those in chorus leadership positions—veterans and aspirants alike—to build and nurture relationships that will fulfill their chorus’s mission.”
Additional support for The Chorus Leadership Guide was provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Chorus Leadership Guide is $35. You can order yours online at www.westminsterchoircollege.org or by calling 609-921-7100, ext. 8308.