Minutes, 2022-23, 52nd Season | Providence Singers

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees

52nd Season, 2022-2023

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees

September 21, 2022

Held via ZOOM

Present:

Josh Krugman, Chairman. Members; Jim Burress, Neil Brafman, Jenica Reed Conley, Bradford Louison, Suzanne Nassise, Mell Roca, Margaret Veresko, Terry Karaniuk, Allison Picard, Lori Andrews and Kyleen Carpenter. Elaine Cunningham, Christine Noel, ex officio.

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. The Minutes of the meeting of May 23, 2022 were unanimously approved.

New members of the Board, Terry Karaniuk, Allison Picard, Lori Andrews and Kyleen Carpenter were welcomed. The Chairman discuss his plan for a Board social in October.

Executive Director’s Report

Elaine Cunningham presented her FY 2023 Development and Marketing plan. She reported that 2022 ended with cash on hand of approximately $74,000.00 She discussed her focus on projects, fund raising goals, donors and grants. Fund raising events were discussed including the fruit sales and 401 Gives and a spring fund raising event to make up for a lost grant.

Hybrid programs rather than printed programs for concerts was discussed. She discussed social media presence, such as a regular blog on the Singer’s website and expanded Facebook posts, contacting churches and synagogues and Jewish news media to publicize concerts.

New risers were discussed. $10,000.00 of reserve funds are available for new risers. The RI Children’s Chorushas offered three risers to the Singers which will partially fulfill the need for new risers. A fourth riser will be priced. Fatigue mats will also be considered. The Chairman remarked that as long as the equipment proposed to be purchased was for equipment to be used with the risers, such as the mats, chairs or safety rails that funds used for them would be acceptable under the criteria for the funds received for new risers.

Ms. Cunningham asked that the Trustees complete the conflict-of-interest form which needs to be completed and submitted.

Terry Karaniuk discussed the use of Patreon for fund raising. A discussion ensued as to the use of Patreon, the posting of content there and the use of music online. The matter will be referred to the Resource and Development Committee for further discussion.

The Chair discussed his desire to have a fund-raising event this season.

Artistic Director’s Report

Dr. Noel discussed the current strong membership in all sections with a current membership of 88 and 14 new members. There are currently waiting lists for all sections but for the tenors. Additional auditions will be conducted pending the size of concert venues and balance with the tenors. No additional members will be accepted for now except for the Messiah and Requiem which will see the inclusion of additional guest singers.

The In Harmony program is underway and the repertoire is set. The Blackstone Academy Charter School is the host, and the Director and Assistant Director of the program are planning site visits and auditions at schools in Pawtucket and Central Falls. The possibility of including Providence schools is being considered. Transportation for the students is not currently included. Neil Brafman asked about the possibility of the Singers performing with the In Harmony participants.

Mell Roca inquired about plans to keep the interest of those applicants on the waiting lists. Dr. Noel said that they have been asked to submit a recording of a piece of music so that a better understanding of their voices may be made. Mr. Buress asked about whether the additional members for the Messiah and the Requiem would extend to the other programs.

Kyleen Carpenter discussed fund raising for the In Harmony program. Dr. Noel said that she wanted to ensure that funds are not diverted from the Singers to In Harmony, which is well funded.

Budget and Finance Committee.

Jim Buress discussed the revised budget and the current situation with the loss of the RISCA grant. There was a discussion of the loss of the RISCA and new and alternative sources of funding. The RISCA grant application changed with a significant emphasis on DE&I and BIPOC and there was a discussion of the organization’s fit. The RISCA grant is not available for reapplication until 2024.

There was a discussion of the Singers performing with a gospel choir and the search for such choirs.

The Chair discussed key items for the committees to consider.

Resource and Development- fund raising event, online sustainable donations
Artistic excellence, seeking a broader audience, guest conductors, attracting and retaining quality singers of diverse backgrounds
Board Governance- documenting policies and succession plans for staff and board members; key volunteers; the expansion of the search for Board members beyond Rhode Island, the required number of board members.

Executive Session

At 8:18 p.m. a motion was made and passed to enter into Executive Session. Executive Session closed at 8:28 p.m. There being no further business before the Board, a motion to adjourn was made and passed and the meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

/s/ Brad Louison

Bradford N. Louison, Secretary

Sept. 24, 2022

Providence Singers

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Held via ZOOM

January 11, 2023

Present:

The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. The Minutes of the meeting of September 23, 2022 were unanimously approved.

Executive Director’s Report

Elaine Cunningham discussed grants and contributions received and anticipated, that the fundraising campaign is key, that donor participation has been low so far and that much of her work this year will be on fundraising. The Youth Choir is on track for the February 6, 2023 start and other schools are seeking auditions for their students. She is still looking for an accompanist and two section leaders. The Creation concert at Grace Church was discussed and the increased costs incurred due to the postponement, primarily from unanticipated personnel costs for the orchestra members, including additional travel reimbursements for out of state musicians and for a piano forte. Current projects were discussed including the In Harmony launch, a spring gala, and the March concert with its licensing and streaming video.

Artistic Director’s Report

Dr. Noel discussed the programs for next season, including Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Considering Matthew Shepard, for which she suggested that its performance be at the WaterFire Arts Center. Elaine said she would consider applying for grants for that performance. The Chair asked to evaluate the costs for both an organ or chamber orchestra for the performance of Elijah and to create two budgets for each so that they can each be considered. There are no plans for a collaboration with the RI Philharmonic for 2024. Christine discussed having another opera gala or one performing British music. An opera program was favored by a consensus of the members of the board. She discussed her efforts to seek a commission from a BIPOC composer and that Reema Esmail is being considered, but that she is only available to provide a work in 2025-2026.

Discussed dedicating a concert to a supporter who passed away and how to acknowledge chorus members or their family members who pass away.

Budget and Finance Committee

Jim Burress said that we began the year with a balanced budget and the large donation recently made to the Singers.

Resource and Development Committee

Josh discussed that spring gala, which was still planned for the spring, and how the committee evaluated the Providence Art Club and the Blithewold mansion in Bristol. The Providence Art Club seemed the best as far as an appropriate venue and as to costs. A break-even analysis was exhibited with an attendance projection. The matter was referred to the committee for further discussion and decision.

Governance Committee

Suzanne Nassise discussed several potential candidates for Board membership and her efforts to contact them.

At the conclusion of the meeting the purchase of the new risers was discussed.

Executive Session

At 8:42 p.m. a motion was made and passed to enter into Executive Session. Executive Session closed at 9:06 p.m. There being no further business before the Board, a motion to adjourn was made and passed and the meeting adjourned at 9:06 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

/s/ Brad Louison

Bradford N. Louison, Secretary

January 12, 2023

Providence Singers

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Held via ZOOM

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Present:

Josh Krugman, Chairman. Members; Jenica Reed Conley, Bradford Louison, Suzanne Nassise, Mell Roca, Margaret Veresko, Terry Karaniuk, Allison Picard, Lori Andrews and Kyleen Carpenter. Elaine Cunningham, Christine Noel, ex officio.

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m. The Minutes of the meeting of January 11, 2023 were unanimously approved.

Executive Director’s Report

Elaine Cunningham discussed the Resource Development report. Fundraising was slow during the last couple of months. A grant from the Blackbaud Giving Fund was received. Fundraising amounts totaled $3,515.00 since the January Board meeting. Ms. Cunningham submitted a letter of inquiry to the White Family Foundation. The Singers are eligible for a RICA Project Grant. 401 Gives Campaign is coming up in April. Ms. Cunningham will be sending links and ads to the Singers for sending to potential donors and will ask Singers for the names of persons for direct mail contact in order to inform them about the 401 Gives campaign and about the YouTube recording. A personal solicitation from a member tends to be more effective than a request from the organization itself.

The March 11 and 13, 2023 concerts were discussed. There was a total of 453 attendees for both concerts. Total revenue was $12,051.00 and expenses were $13,564.00. The cost for contract musicians was a factor in the expenses. Elaine discussed looking into less expensive alternatives to Eventbrite.

Ms. Cunningham is planning to cultivate a “5th Section” for persons who would like to volunteer to assist and contribute to the Singers. Also under consideration will be new tactics to engage the Singers in promoting the organization, new venues, new partnerships, tapping into our partners mailing lists, new marketing copy, program books, and video talks about upcoming concerts. Also under consideration is the possibility of a Providence Athenaeum event such as one about the Considering Matthew Shepard program or a talk by Dr. Noel on a subject such as sacred music. Future additional concert videos will be considered.

The March 11, 2023 concert recording and the expenses for musicians, licenses, engineering and editing was discussed.

The estimated year end income and expenses was discussed. The Singers have a strong cash position and the moving of cash from the checking account to an interest bearing money market account was discussed. A motion was made and unanimously approved to allow our retained investment advisor to move cash from checking to a money market account in an amount as determined by the advisor and executive board.

The In Harmony program was discussed including issues with attendance by the students vis a vis their other activities and part time jobs ,which may interfere with their participation in the program. Kyleen Carpenter, the principal of the school where the program is held, said she would inquire about the absences from the most recent rehearsal. The Board will review the program and students’ participation at the end of the fiscal year. The In Harmony program is scheduled for a performance on May 22, 2023.

Artistic Director’s Report

Dr. Noel discussed the two strong concerts of March 11 and 12, 2023. The Pastor of St. Mary of the Bay Church was very pleased with the concert at the church and said that he hoped for a continued relationship with the Singers. There is a strong following for the Providence Singers in the East Bay. The venue is excellent and has ample parking.

The rehearsals for the Verdi Requiem have begun with 100 signers. Five strong basses and sopranos will be joining as guest singers; five others are still needed. Dr. Noel is recruiting.

Rehearsals for singers for the May Gala will begin soon. Fifteen have requested auditions. Thereafter the program for the Gala will be prepared.

Compensation for paid singers for the Verdi Requiem was discussed. Dr. Noel offered a tenor $500.00, the funds for which will be paid from the Choral Scholars Fund. She requested an additional $1,000.00 for other professional singers if she needs it. A motion was made and unanimously approved to authorize the amount. Dr. Noel discussed the production work on the March 11, 2023 concert video and how the recording will be broken up into individual musical pieces. The Duruflé Requiem will be broken up by movements.

Budget and Finance Committee

Elaine Cunningham reviewed Budget and Finance matters in her report to the Board and said that she will have a proposed budget for approval at the May board meeting.

Resource and Development Committee

The Gala at the Providence Art Club was discussed. The break-even number for attendees is 50. The committee is working now to gather auction items.

Governance Committee

There are currently two vacancies on the board and two applicants for membership, Mark Boyd and Andrew Broten. Their resumes had been previously distributed to the Board members. A motion to approve them as members of the Board of Trustees was made and unanimously approved. There are additional Board positions available.

Personnel Committee

Matters brought forth for discussion from the Personnel Committee were discussed in Executive Session.

Executive Session

A motion to enter into Executive Session was made, seconded and unanimously allowed. Executive session was begun at 8:09 p.m. A motion to end Executive Session and adjourn the Board meeting was made and allowed, and Executive Session was ended and the meeting adjourned at 8:48 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

/s/ Brad Louison

Bradford N. Louison, Secretary

March 23, 2023

Providence Singers

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Trustees

Held via ZOOM

Monday, May 22, 2023

Present

Josh Krugman, Chairman. Members: Jenica Reed Conley, Bradford Louison, Suzanne Nassise, Mell Roca, Terry Karaniuk, Allison Picard, Lori Andrews, Jim Burress, Kyleen Carpenter, Andrew Broten, and Marc Boyd. Elaine Cunningham, Christine Noel, ex officio.

The meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. The Minutes of the meeting of March 22, 2023, were unanimously approved.

Executive Director’s Report.

Elaine Cunningham discussed the following;

Videos of the March concert are currently in production.
The Singers’ goal of strengthening community connections was furthered this season by new partnerships with the Providence Art Club, St. Mary of the Bay Church, and LGBTQ organizations.
The Singer’s financial situation is quite strong, primarily due to donations. The April 2023 financials were reviewed and discussed.
New risers will be purchased this week.
Funds are being transferred from the checking account to a money market account managed by Fidelity.
Consideration of what to do with the funds which were granted to the In Harmony vocal program, which was budgeted for fifty students, but which ended up with seven.
Discussed the upcoming Gala and the tickets and tables sold for it so far.
Steps to resolve the lack of corporate sponsors and program book ads include establishing a marketing committee whose goal will be to seek new sponsors.
The new Choir Relations Management program, “Choir Genius” will handle substantial information and will provide significant cost savings. It will be set up over the summer and online in September
Terry Karaniuk suggested approaching the Bank of America for sponsorship. Sponsorship request materials, including an advertisement spec sheet and a sponsor benefits page, will be available by the end of May

Artistic Director’s Report

Dr. Noel discussed the following;

The strong performances of the Verdi Requiem.
The Singers had several guest singers who will be auditioned for membership. There is still a waiting list for membership.
The total number of singers is limited by the size of the venues where the Singers perform; for exa,[;e, Grace Church can fit 95 singers and St. Mary of the Bay can accommodate 100 singers or more.
The upcoming Gala will have eleven soloists and one duet.
The R.I. Philharmonic wishes to rotate conductors for the Messiah performances and there will be a new conductor for this December’s performance.
The Considering Matthew Shepard performance will highlight/showcase LGBTQ organizations. The R.I. Gay Men’s Chorus, which has a large following, will open the event with their own performance. At the performance there will be tables set up for various organizations and support groups. To date, six groups have confirmed their attendance.
A Community Sing is being planned for next May. Anthony Trecek-King will be invited to conduct.
Additional low Basses will be sought for the Rachmaninoff Vespers program.
The size of the Verdi Requiem audiences was discussed. The R.I. Philharmonic was “thrilled” with the Singers’ performance.
Josh Krugman asked if there was any discussion of the Singers’ continued partnership with the R.I. Philharmonicin so far as they were seeking a new permanent conductor. Dr. Noel said the relationship with the Singers is strong and that the Philharmonic would like to have one choral piece each season.

Mr. Krugman introduced and welcomed the two new members of the Board, Andrew Broten and Marc Boyd.

Budget and Finance Committee.

Mr. Burress discussed the following;

He referred to the discussion of the financial status in Elaine Cunningham’s report.
Discussed the higher individual contributions received this year.
Budget projections for next season were based on higher audience numbers.
The Vespers program is budgeted for a net gain and the March program for a net loss. The May 2024 concert is budgeted close to break-even.
A discussion about increasing the ticket prices to $30.00. During the season now ending, the Singers experimented with a tiered ticket price and many attendees chose the higher $30.00 ticket seats.
Membership dues changes and score sales were discussed, as was venue rentals and production costs.
The Singers did not hire an office assistant this year.
The Singers will be close to a balanced budget.
Grants are budgeted for approximately $60,000.00.
Mr. Burress concurred that the organization is in a strong financial position.

Resource and Development Committee

Josh Krugman and Elaine Cunningham discussed the following;

There will be no Gala planned for next year.
Venues in the East Bay were discussed for future Galas.

Governance Committee.

Suzanne Nassise discussed the following;

The two new Board members (Marc Boyd and Andrew Broten) and the terms of various members of the Board.
Beth Zarlengo, Jim Burress Josh Krugman and Marc Boyd will begin three-year terms next season.
Officers: Mell Roca, Chair; Bradford Louison, Secretary; and Jim Burress, Treasurer.
Chairs of Committees: Allison Picard, Governance; Beth Zarlengo, Personnel; and Josh Krugman, Resource Development.

The nominees were voted on and the vote was passed unanimously.

Personnel Committee

Matters brought forth for discussion by the Personnel Committee were discussed in Executive Session.

New Business

The In Harmony program was discussed. When the program began, a grant was sought from the Papitto Opportunity Connection to start a high school age choral group. Initially there was good student interest with some twenty students enrolling; however, over the semester, attendance dropped to only seven students. Issues such as after school transportation were discussed as a probable impediment to continued student participation. Recruitment was sought in Pawtucket area schools, but the schools did not provide sufficient assistance for a successful after school program. The grant amounts for the Program and for the R.I. Childrens’ Chorus was discussed and compared. Whether the Papitto Opportunity Connection will continue to entertain further grants for only seven or so students is a concern and will be discussed with them. Kyleen Carpenter discussed her school’s experience with the program. Dr. Noel recommended hiring a project coordinator to run the program. A partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket and a new music coordinator for the program were discussed.

Executive Session

A motion to enter into Executive Session was made, seconded and unanimously allowed. Executive session began at 8:27 p.m. A motion to end Executive Session and adjourn the Board meeting was made and allowed, and Executive Session concluded, and the meeting adjourned at 8:39 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

/s/ Brad Louison

Bradford N. Louison, Secretary

May 24, 2023