Last weekend I was singing with the Fort Worth Chorale and Fort Worth Symphony for the premier of the “Final Fantasy Remake World Tour”, and I’m still enjoying the afterglow! Luckily, we were able to sing with the symphony after following safety protocols before our dress rehearsal and concert performances. These are the times we live in as the Delta variant extends the pandemic further down the road of everyone’s lives, but the FWC, like many other local performing groups, is now rehearsing for our 2021-2022 concert season, and we are all thankful for the opportunity to bring wonderful music to our community once again!
Many FWC members are educated in music and are current choir directors or music educators in the community. For me, music has always been a big part of my life, but I chose to get a business degree in accounting, and have worked in finance and accounting my entire career. In college, I participated in the Men’s Glee club at the University of Nebraska and had sung in the church choir since I was just a little guy. I played piano and saxophone, and sang in the choir in high school as well. Today, I am delighted to sing with the FWC and a church choir, too. Last year was tough on everyone, as this all came to a pause and many like me had a big hole in our regular calendar and a hole in our heart for our love of music. We missed the camaraderie of the weekly rehearsals and performances and being able to use our talents for the enjoyment of the community.
Speaking of community, we’re all excited about the new “Schola Cantorum Project” which will launch this spring. The project will annually select and finance composers from an under-represented community in the field of choral music. Each composer will create a commissioned work that will be available at no cost for qualifying Title I middle schools each year. A special effort will also be made to reach the schools that qualify in the Fort Worth ISD. One of our own board members, Reginal Wright, created the project and will be composing one of the pieces in the first year. The FWC understands how our experiences are greatly enhanced when all can participate. And you can participate along with us when you donate to the Chorale!
In my role as Treasurer of the board, the organization’s finances are of utmost importance. Since we are mainly a volunteer led group, we’ve been able to continue through the pandemic thanks to careful budget management, contributions received through North Texas Giving Day last year, and board member donations. As we re-start regular programming, our hope is that the pandemic has created a pent-up demand for the arts, culture and humanities, and that many of you are chomping at the bit to attend these types of activities. We certainly have the desire to rehearse and provide quality music for our concerts!
North Texas Giving Day, the FWC’s main fundraising activity, is on September 23rd this month. Our members are currently preparing personal “FUNdraiser” pages to utilize in generating contributions from friends and family far and wide, and board members, past and present, have pledged over $10,000 in matching funds for this event. If you are a music lover who cares about our organization and its mission, then you can help us by contributing to our efforts in providing quality community experiences at www.northtexasgivingday.org/fortworthchorale or on our website at www.fortworthchorale.org/donate.
Thank you for being such a vital part of our community!
