Enrichment

To express our leadership in developing for the community a lifestyle marked by an abiding appreciation for the arts, the Chorale operates under a mission statement:

“Making music that moves you, the Holland Chorale enhances community life by inspiring involvement in the arts.”

Our five-year Strategic Plan is designed as a living, breathing charter upon which we pursue our mission. Historically, the Holland Chorale has performed in concert halls, churches, community functions, Christmas dinners, nursing homes, and civic auditoriums to enthusiastic audiences. The range of selections performed by the Holland Chorale has been eclectic, but weighted by the preferences of the subscribers, the Artistic Director and the constituency of the Chorale itself. The Chorale leadership recognizes that the organization possesses both the skill and the desire to reach a wider and more diverse audience without abandoning its traditional appeal.

In order to meet our strategic objectives in the way of community service, we rely on a Board of Directors and committees of community citizens to plan and evaluate our projects. Our collaborations with other arts groups in the area such as The Holland Symphony Orchestra, The Holland Area Arts Council, The Holland Friends of Art, The Holland Civic Theatre etc… attests to the value our community places on the Holland Chorale, as a prime element for arousing interest in the arts.

High School Student Study/Performance Program works through high school music educators. We audition and place to up to four high school singers from West Ottawa High School, Holland High School, Hamilton High School, Holland Christian High School, Black River and Saugatuck High School in the Chorale every year as part of their work-study program at no cost to the students. The Grand Rapids Community College, Hope College, Calvin College and Grand Valley University provide performance space as well as choral experiences with the students. The community supports us in many ways – ticket sales, direct and planned giving, in-kind contributions, and many volunteer hours.

The centerpiece of our community service is The Holland Chorale Community Enrichment Program. This celebration, formally known as The March Festival of The Arts, serves over 15000 students from the surrounding area. Supplementing their school coursework, the program provides them very unique arts experiences with touring and guest artists, composers, arrangers, and clinicians from all over the country. The Holland Chorale Community Enrichment Program has had the honor to host such distinguished musicians as composer Stephen Paulus, conductor Charles Bruffy, and composer/conductor Rollo Dilworth. These guests work with area high school students, college students and directors during a four-day residency. This March we will have as our guest composer Gwyneth Walker and will be premiering her work "I've Known Rivers" which was commissioned by The Holland Chorale.

The Holland Chorale Kids is an auditioned song and dance troupe of 14 children with ages beginning at 7. These children remain in the group until age 13. These children receive extensive stage and performance training and perform with the adults in the Christmas Theatre in December and Tulip Time in May.

Audience development is a critical part of our strategy. Our average annual audience size has grown to approximately 15,000. Though our audience reflects that of typical community choruses with respect to age, we are committed to reaching a younger and more diverse audience with the choral art. Last season we implemented the Family Plan. When two tickets are purchased for adults, all dependent children under 18 are free. In addition, we offer student discounts. As a community organization, a large part of our appeal is the affordability of our tickets, rendering it inappropriate to raise our ticket prices as a means of covering increasing costs. Further, for several of our performances, local high school choirs are invited to perform with the Holland Chorale in hopes of creating both new audience and cultivating interest among younger singers. The benefit concerts expose us to a new audience as well as enlighten the performers and our regular audience to community needs.