annual report
2013-2014
Our 22nd Season
2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir 949 West 49th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5Z 2T1
www.chorleoni.org BC Society Incorporation #: S-32983 Charitable Registration #: 891227084 RR 0001
2013-2014 Board of Directors James Emery, President Ted Chiasson, Vice President Rod Locke, Secretary Marni Johnson, Treasurer Bob Baker Paul Larocque Larry Burr Dick Loomer Stash Bylicki Rob McAllister James Carter
Artistic Staff Erick Lichte, Artistic Director Ken Cormier, Accompanist
Administrative Staff Erick Lichte, Executive Director David Carpenter, Production Manager Bruce Hoffman, Manager of Marketing, Publicity & Patron Relations Derek Page, Accountant
Letter from James Emery, President The 2013-2014 year has been a year of firsts for the organization of Chor Leoni. This is the first full year that Erick Lichte has acted in the role of Artistic Director. It is the first year that Chor Leoni has had an Executive Director. It is the first year that the Board of Directors has been acting as a governance board and not a working board, and it is the first full year of the implementation of our new strategic plan. It is a testament to the commitment of those involved in this organization that the multiple transitions have proceeded as smoothly and as successfully as they have. Our fans have also been a huge part of our success and they demonstrated this by coming out in record numbers to our concerts this past year. We are fortunate to have such a dynamic, creative, and energetic artistic and administrative team, a high functioning board, and a clear strategic plan. We are also fortunate that we have developed a strong financial base through sound fiscal oversight, numerous granting agencies, individual and corporate donors, our endowment funds, and our successful fundraising events so well augmented by the very first Chor Leoni Idol. This coming year, Chor Leoni will be building on this solid base by continuing to provide creative and engaging programs, evolving its administrative structure, refining the board governance model, and developing and acting on new fundraising strategies.
Exciting new programming for this coming year are the dramatized Christmas Truce concerts (already more than 50% sold), a return to working with the The Mission of Chor Leoni Vancouver Symphony, a commission using a Leonard Cohen text with one of the Chor Leoni is dedicated to the creation, finest young choral composers today, and the first VanMan choral summit.
promotion and presentation of male choral music. We have a passionate commitment to the development of repertoire, training of artists, and advancement of the choral art form. We are champions of Canadian culture at home and abroad. Sharing our music through live performances and recorded media, we create transformative experiences for our participants and our audiences.
Chor Leoni is well poised to build on its mission 'dedicated to the creation, promotion and presentation of male choral music.' It has been my pleasure to serve my first year as your president and board chair and I am especially excited for what this next year will bring for the long term future of Chor Leoni Men's Choir.
— James Emery, President and Board Chair
Organizational Goals • Governance: To be a model of organizational responsibility and good governance in Canada’s non-profit arts sector. • Planning: To create a comprehensive process for annual organizational review of both annual and long- term plans. • Capacity: To build and sustain the infrastructure necessary to fulfill Chor Leoni’s mission. 2
2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Letter from Erick Lichte, Artistic & Executive Director What is a choir? The simple answer is that it is a group of people who come together to sing. But for those of us who have taken the
Our Vision
plunge and live our lives in choirs, we know it is much, much more. A choir literally shares the same breath. It feels the oxygen in
To be an inspiring and engaging organization that enriches and
the room change with each inhalation and feels the air
transforms people’s lives
around them electrify with the vibration of sound. A choir
through music.
creates a space where each individual is exalted as a singer, where each member must develop his body like an athlete so that it can be called upon to make the most beautiful sounds with the greatest of ease. And yet, each singer must allow themselves to be totally vulnerable to the music, to
Our Values
each other and to its audience. A choir must believe in its own ability to create emotional bridges of sound across ages of history, cultures and space. It must
We thrive on the joy of
believe in its own power to create magic and believe in its mission to share that
making and sharing music.
magic with others. For the brief moments when everything is working, a choir is able to cast off all of the noise of life and can become one with each other, the audience and, I believe, the universe.
We embrace courage and
Through every rehearsal and every performance, Chor Leoni Men’s Choir aspires
innovation.
to these ideals of what a choir is and can be. It has created a special place where men from all ages, walks of life, temperaments and inclinations share real brotherhood, believing all the time in the transformative power of male choral singing.
We believe in strong connections
The 2013-14 Season was a huge success mainly because of the willingness of the
with our communities.
men of Chor Leoni to strike out on new paths, try new things, work really hard and still be cheerful and wonderfully warm to each other and our community. They are a treasure of Vancouver, Canada and the world. The more I work with them, the more I believe this to be true. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for all that they give.
We foster an environment of diversity, inclusiveness, excellence and respect.
— Erick Lichte, Artistic & Executive Director
Core Program Goals • Local Performances: To optimize and maximize Chor Leoni’s performance opportunities in order to create the largest and most diverse local audience possible within the limits of our schedule. • Touring: To be effective musical ambassadors for Vancouver, British Columbia, and Canada. • Media: To make the best use of existing and emerging media for recording, broadcasting and promoting Chor Leoni and its repertoire to the broadest possible audience. • Youth: To build a sustained culture of male choral singing from an early age. • Funding: To earn sustainable donation support from every subscriber, sponsorship support for every core program, and prominent public support from all levels of government. 3
2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Reflections on Coming Home by Rick Bennett, Bass I have been asked to pen a few thoughts about Memory Eternal, our 2013 Remembrance Day concert, and my experience of rejoining Chor Leoni after a fourteen-year break. That seems as good a reason as any to write about some other things. Remembrance Day is important to me; it always has been. Like many Canadians, I have been touched by war. My uncle was killed in World War 2, shot down over the Mediterranean, his body never recovered. His name is carved on a stone memorial in the Egyptian desert, a long, long way from his home. My grandfather went to his grave believing that some day, some how, his son would return. My uncle’s older brother was on the first Canadian convoy to leave for Europe in 1939. He spent the entire
“For over 20 years I have found no better way to observe Remembrance Day than with Chor Leoni.”
would be our 1995 performance at West Van United. My father attended, the only time either of my parents, who lived in Ottawa, did so. Mom had died a year earlier and Dad had cancer, terminally as it turned out, and had moved to Vancouver so that Lorraine and I could care for him. By November he was very feeble, but came to our concert in his RMC blazer and war medals. In those days the audience generally sat through the Last Post. But that day, when the first trumpet notes sounded Dad, who by then could barely walk, struggled to attention, followed soon by other veterans and then, as one, by the entire audience. It was as if everyone suddenly “got” the purpose of the day, the music, the readings. Dad and they remained standing while the trumpet’s last echoes faded. The ensuing silence was shattering; it was a pivotal moment in the evolution of the concert. That tradition of visible respect continues at our concerts to this day.
And to this day, when I hear the trumpet sound each year, I see my father struggle again to his war overseas. His experiences there fashioned feet. the man, certainly not all for the better, whom I knew and loved as my father. War and its Afterwards the choir led the audience in a singconsequences have been a presence in my along of old Vera Lynn songs (this was before Kontakion). I sat beside Dad as we sang. He family since before I was born. tried to join but “We’ll Meet Again” did him in; Which brings me to Remembrance Day and h e w a s a w a s h . H e w e p t u t t e r l y a n d Chor Leoni. For over 20 years I have known of uncontrollably. I had never seen him, crusty old no better way to observe the day than with Chor bastard that he was, do this, ever; not even Leoni. I have done so in various ways. First as a when my mother died. singer. Then as a script writer and narrator (a humbling task if ever there was one). And most Dad died five weeks later. He and I spoke several times in those few remaining weeks of recently, until last year, in the audience. how this choir and that concert gave him the I have many memories of Chor Leoni and licence and the place to acknowledge publicly Remembrance Day, but if I had to pick one, it
2012–2013 Season Highlights September 18 At the beautiful home of our good friends, Larry & Sherry Killam. Great food, fine music and wonderful friends of Chor Leoni.
November 10 Maple Ridge November 11 West Vancouver & Vancouver
Our Facebook post: “It's a beautiful day for our sold out AT HOME gala fundraiser!
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
“We touch people, we move them, deeply.” “We celebrate our diversity in our devotion to our music.” “Embracing, not fearing, diversity is the key to reconciliation, redemption, beauty, grace” “We have kept the faith.”
his lifetime of suppressed grief. He died a more have to be that way; that overcoming otherness complete human being because of that – even in a group of men - is, can be, merely a moment. Chor Leoni gave him that chance. decision, a choice. Our audience responds to I think we have given a lot of people a lot of that. We sing with the integrity of those who those chances over the years. Which brings me have overcome…not what our forefathers to Remembrance Day, Chor Leoni, and Memory faced, certainly, but our own challenges in our own time. It is a very powerful message – at Eternal. once redemptive and transformative.It is also Sitting in the audience as I did for many years, what I found when I came home to Chor Leoni. I you learn things about Chor Leoni. Yes the have not forgotten the warmth of the welcome I music is wonderful, the sound glorious, the received a year ago; it moves me still. What has readings moving. But these are table stakes; moved me more, though, is the realization as good choirs and inspired programming are not the weeks went by that that essential really that hard to find. Chor Leoni, especially on inclusiveness remains as vibrant and vital, as Remembrance Day, is more than this. We touch foundational, as ever. And so, when I took my people, we move them, deeply, just as we place on stage for Memory Eternal last touched and moved my father. November, my joy and pride to be with you Why? How? again at last after fourteen years knew no I have thought about that for a long time, and bounds. I thought my heart would burst. I felt have come to believe, right or wrong, that the again the privilege of carrying our message into answer lies in Diane’s vision for us from the that small corner of the world inhabited by our outset: we would be a group of men who on a audience, to sing truth to them. To show them very personal level would commit to each other that embracing, not fearing, diversity is the key to make music together. And we would to reconciliation, redemption, beauty, grace. overcome whatever differences might divide us Diane knew that, she knew it in her socks. She to do that. And so we did and so we do – old, would not be disappointed in the Chor Leoni bus driver and doctor, gay and straight, gifted she would find today. We have, I think, kept the and maybe not so much – we celebrate our faith. diversity in our devotion to our music, and in Let me conclude by saying simply that to be that devotion our diversity is celebrated. among you again, to make music with you, my Our audience senses this viscerally, I am sure of brothers, is a gift that gives me great joy. Just it. They sense that we embody many of the best being part of Chor Leoni makes me, and I aspirations of our community, its better angels. expect each of us, a better person, just as we When we sing of pain, loss, tortured humanity, made my father a better person. Thank you, anger and grief, of what Owen so movingly from the bottom of my heart, for welcoming me called the pity of war, we sing as a group that by back. our very presence shows that things do not
RB
November 11 L: Chor Leoni lines up at West Vancouver United Church. R: The guys of PROMYS (PROgram for Mentoring Young Singers) were a great addition to our Memory Eternal concerts.
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Singing for CBC Foodbank and Nelson Mandela by Greg Martin, Baritone
Most Chor Leoni members know what it's like to be traveling downtown before dawn, hours before their alarm clock should have been set for, to sing live on CBC radio for their annual Foodbank fundraiser. But my level of preoccupation early on the morning of December 6, 2013 was higher than usual: Erick had to lead an important rehearsal down in Portland the night before, and nothing short of a private jet could have gotten him to Vancouver in time for the broadcast. "No problem," he had told me, "the guys will be great. You be in charge, Greg - just warm them up and conduct them and all that." Um ... gulp? It's daunting enough to try to fill the conductor's shoes at the best of times and I assure you that, for me at least, 5:30am is *not* the best of times.
“The reactions of the live audience in Studio 700 told us that we had indeed honoured that great man.”
December 6 Chor Leoni is broadcast province-wide on CBC Radio.
And then came additional pressure: the day before the fundraiser, the inspirational Nelson Mandela passed away. Wanting to honour him, Chor Leoni realized that we had in our repertoire, from our 2011 Bard on the Beach show, Ken Cormier's arrangement of Homeless as performed by Paul Simon and South Africa's own Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The email went out to the singers, less than 12 hours before the performance, that Homeless was a go; and it was up to me to reprise my solo (yes, still before sunrise).
Amazingly, I ended up having nothing to worry about: our production manager David Carpenter and the folks at Studio 700 are all pros, and they made sure I knew what was happening and when. I just had to pass the information on to the lions - who, when they began to sing, mysteriously (but happily!) sounded like they had been warming up for an hour already. Never mind that our first two songs (Terre Roche's Star of Wonder and my chart of White Christmas) were new arrangements that we'd only been rehearsing for a few weeks; never mind that we hadn't looked at Homeless at all in months! I got the tempo and the starting pitches to the singers, and they took over from there, delivering wonderfully. Before I knew it, I found myself putting my heart into that Zulu solo for our national audience, supported in sound and soul by the wonderful men I had the privilege to lead that morning. The reactions of the live audience in Studio 700 told us that we had indeed honoured that great man; there were even South African citizens sitting in the front row, proud and grateful and truly touched at the homage. After we ended with our old classic Christmas Angel, we gave one another hugs and compliments ... and then headed our separate ways for the start of the work day! GM
Facebook comments: “We PREMIERED Greg’s amazingly fun arrangement of White Christmas, and he sang the lead in our rendition of Homeless. Way to go, Greg!” “You sang me to work today!! Well done, guys!”
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Star of Wonder by Peter Joosten, Baritone As this was my first year and my first Christmas concert with the choir, I had no real idea of what to expect. Having just finished our Remembrance Day concert series a few weeks prior I was already given a glimpse of what the Men of Chor Leoni were capable of, and have enjoyed getting to know many of them.
overwhelming at times. I felt Star of Wonder had several of those moments for me. The desire of the group to leave a lasting musical impression on all those that attend its concerts is evident in the work and genuine emotion they put into the music they perform. Not only did I think we sounded good, we looked great with the amazing lighting. Whatever expectations I A little about the music: I must say that the had with regards to Star of Wonder were care taken with choosing the repertoire for exceeded in every way. this concert was great. The music had a wonderful variety from the beautiful (Star of Overall, my experience with Chor Leoni Wonder) and haunting (Stopping By thus far has been a true delight. I could not Woods) to the funny (White Christmas) have imagined that the people involved while maintaining that Christmas spirit that with this organization would be so I believe concertgoers wish to see. Myself incredibly gracious, supportive and kind. included. For the short time I have been part of this group I can already say that I have made As in all concerts, there usually comes a lifelong friends. Every concert (in fact time whilst performing where I feel I need almost every Wednesday night) I feel truly to pinch myself. The thought of singing proud to call myself a lion and stand with a group so tightknit with such a love amongst these fine men. for making good music can be PJ
Our ad read: “The perfect choral Christmas treat, Star of Wonder encapsulates the beauty, joy and magic of the season. Erick has chosen a rich tapestry of music, from Renaissance motets and Russian choral works to folk music from Newfoundland and Argentina, and new arrangements of songs by Tori Amos and The Roches. We’ll even sing a little Barbershop harmony! Chor Leoni’s rich warm sound will be joined by organ, violin, percussion, guitar and you - as we invite you to sing along with the Lions to your favourite carols. Let Star of Wonder guide you into the upcoming festive season.”
December 19 & 20 St. Andrew’s-Wesley, United Church, Vancouver December 21 West Vancouver United Church
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Cadillac Cathedral
by Pete Chamberlain, First Tenor Erick and Jack
Erick and Jack
Erick and Jack
“It was a truly memorable occasion.” “Touring together for the first time under Erick’s leadership was an important occasion for bonding.”
January 31, Vancouver February 1, Victoria February 2, Nanaimo
Cadillac Cathedral was born of the "marriage of true minds," those of Diane Loomer and Jack Hodgins, each a beloved icon of Canada's West Coast culture. The project had its genesis in the collaboration of Chor Leoni with Jack at the Vancouver Writers Festival in the Fall 2010 in a show that interwove the songs of the choir with selected readings from Jack's novels and short stories. The audience was deeply moved by the performance, as were the singers and Jack himself. "I was filled with gratitude for this astonishing opportunity," he wrote. "Please tell the men that I consider Sunday afternoon's experience one of the great highlights of my recent life. In some strange but very real way, I felt I had joined the choir myself, even though my role was not a singing one." He then went on to muse: "What if, instead of reading fragments from several stories, I wrote a new story of a certain length that had several spots along the way where it's appropriate to pause for a male choir to sing?" Well, we fairly leapt at the opportunity. By the following spring, the story had taken shape in Jack's mind: "the tale of three old men who set out to rescue a beautiful 1930s Cadillac Cathedral hearse from a family of loggers who have been using it as a tractor to haul logs, and to deliver it to the daughter of the undertaker who once owned it when the main character was young and in love with the undertaker's beautiful daughter, who of course has reached a similar advanced age herself, though still single." The first draft was in hand by the early Fall; and, with Ken Cormier and Cam Wilson fully on board,
we began the long process of working out details. The production was to combine the forces of Chor Leoni and Cam (as both composer/ arranger and leader of a small band) to animate Jack's story, which he himself would read. It was to occur in the spring of 2014, under the baton of Diane, who would come out of retirement to see the project to completion. With Diane's sudden and deeply lamented death in December 2012, the project was taken over by Erick Lichte, Chor Leoni's new Artistic Director. Erick brought to the project an amazing amount of creative energy; working closely with Jack and Cam, he played a key role in shaping the final product. With Jack and members of the choir reading the story, Cadillac Cathedral was performed three times in February 2014, once in Vancouver, and twice on the road, in Nanaimo and Victoria. It was a memorable experience for all. Audiences were delighted (and seemed to become more so the closer we got to Jack's "home turf"). For the singers, it was a truly memorable occasion: not only was the production itself a novel experience, but also touring together for the first time under Erick's leadership was an important occasion for bonding. But we'll leave the final words for Jack himself: "It was such a pleasure for me to see Erick's enthusiasm expand and bloom as we progressed. After all, he inherited Diane's baby and could have entered into the project with reluctance. When he dragged me down for that onstage hug, I was good and ready to hug him!" PC
Erick Lichte and Jack Hodgins confer on details. February 1 McPherson Playhouse, Victoria
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Collaboration: Chor Leoni & Elektra’s Passion and Resurrection by Bruce Hoffman, Second Tenor
Chor Leoni and Elektra have joined forces several times over the past decades to present memorable programs, but the April 12, 2014 production of Passion and Resurrection at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts was the most ambitious and artistically challenging to date. The program centred around two major choral works written within the past decade, David Lang’s the little match girl passion and Passion and Resurrection by Ēriks Ešenvalds. The Chan’s superior acoustics and layout allowed us to creatively position performers, incorporate surtitles and photography, and present an evening that was a very satisfying artistic whole. Attracting a significant amount of press attention, the co-production became one of the choral events on the city’s
calendar that everyone had to attend, and everyone had an opinion about. A great side-effect of the rehearsal process was the opportunity to deepen friendships between the two ensembles, which resulted in more Elektra singers attending Chor Leoni events, and vice versa. Thank you to the Vancouver Foundation, which recognized and rewarded the artistically ambitious program, and to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, which also provided some financial support. In addition, special thanks to Chor Leoni percussionist and bass Michael Soderling, Elektra singer and photographer Shannon Lythgoe, projectionist Paul Nash, and Chor Leoni’s Production Manager, David Carpenter. BH
“Chor Leoni and Elektra’s most ambitious and artistica!y cha!enging co!aboration to date.”
Rachel Fenlon, Soprano, rehearses with Chor Leoni & Elektra for Passion & Ressurection on April 12.
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Thoughts on MYVoice
by Kelly Proznick, Conductor & Teacher I have had the privilege of being part of the MYVoice program as co-conductor of the Burnaby/New Westminster satellite choir for two years, 2012/13 and 2013/14. This program is an incredible opportunity for young men to experience high level choral singing, learn vocal technique, become involved in the established and wonderful community of choirs in Vancouver and be mentored by the great singers and artistic director of Chor Leoni Men’s Choir as well as the MYVoice conductors. One aspect of the program that is thrilling for me is the fact that it is free and for all levels of singers, giving any and every young man the opportunity to access the best instruction and choral experience available. I have observed the impact this program has had on participants. It provides great opportunities for mentoring, with older singers mentoring the younger ones or more experienced mentoring the less experienced. I will always remember an
experienced 18-year-old singing first tenor successfully wrangling a group of 11- and 12-year-old boys singing in his section. It gives younger men an opportunity to see and experience the full range of male choral singing, from sensitive and lyrical to strong and masculine. The experience for young singers is fun and energetic, with wild excitement about singing, friendships being created, donuts at break time (everyone loves free food!) and personalized jersey uniforms. After a full series of rehearsals, the workshop day and concert provide a celebration of all the work done as well as all the possibilities for the future. This program is a great asset to the musical and artistic life of our city, and is a valuable educational resource for students, parents, families and teachers. I am so proud to have been part of this program, and look forward to being involved again in the future. KP
“This program is a great asset to the musical and artistic life of our city, and is a valuable educational resource for students, parents, families and teachers.”
Map of 2014 MYVoice registrants from across the Lower Mainland. In 2014, MYVoice enrollment increased by 38% to 108 registrants.
May 3 The “Let’s Go!” workshops and concert brought the popular16-week youth program to a resoundingly successful conclusion.
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Our First Chor Leoni Idol
by Kyle Harland, Second Tenor I walked into the well-lit Granville street club at around 5:30pm with a knotted stomach and a bulging suitcase. I had been here before, but not before midnight; not without the pulse of a strobelight and the incessant thump of Top 40. No one was around to greet me, so I cautiously walked to the back of the club. “Hello?” I asked softly, half hoping that no one would hear me. No response. To my right, I saw a door cracked open revealing a sliver of light. I slowly pushed my palm against it to reveal Barry Honda dressed as Elvis, and Keith Sinclair without pants, standing amidst a host of costumes that had no business this side of 1985. And I knew this was it. This was the Chor Leoni Idol green room.
banging only slightly curtailed by my unkempt wig. At the final note, I reveled in the swell of applause, but for only a moment, as unforgiving Idol Judge Fred Lee swiftly dismissed my performance for being “Shaughnessy-esque”.
Deflated, I left the stage. But I traded my hard-luck denim for a polyester tracksuit and readied myself for A-Ha’s “Take On Me”. With the world-class backup dance troupe of Anton Donkersloot and Nick Sommer behind me, I felt there was nothing I couldn’t do. Except maybe sing that high E coming up. It had always been pretty rough in the commute. But as the crowd flooded the dance floor, I breathed in, hit it (well, give or take a half step), and Some time later, I was wearing my $3 blond thoroughly destroyed my vocal chords. wig and acid-washed jeans. Why was I so For some reason, the crowd admitted me nervous? I briefly thought about bowing out of the karaoke contest. But no: I had to the final round. Maybe it was the p o l y e s t e r. W h a t e v e r i t w a s , I w a s known the lyrics to Bon Jovi’s “You Give honoured. And I was scared. This meant I’d Love A Bad Name” since I was 13. In the last month alone, I had sung along to it at be doing a Meatloaf song I had not expected to perform. The female duet part least 100 times on my commute to Abbotsford. Surely the two men I was particularly unplanned, so the lion puppet in my bag would have to do. My carpooled with didn’t endure that for puppet Lionel and I turned in a decent nothing. effort, but we could never expect to defeat Then I was on. I thought about the Bon Jovi the dulcet tones of Barry Honda as Elvis. concert I had seen just a few months His plastic bucket was brimming with the earlier, and I thought about how much my audience chips that would decide the legs hurt trying to embody his love of tight winner… unless… wait… a mystery call-in pants. In a flash, I was swept up by the donor? For my bucket? Thanks, Mom! sweet backing track of 80s rock, my head KH May 20 At the Fan Club on Granville Street, Vancouver
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
June 24 and July 1 Manely 1’s at Bard on the Beach , Vanier Park, Vancouver
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
2013-2014 Donors
Thank you to all of our benefactors and friends who made gifts between September 1, 2013 and August 31, 2014. Chor Leoni names its giving levels after the stars of the constellation Leo, the Lion. Your generosity helps us shine! Total of gifts received: $139,143.
REGULUS Gifts of $5,000 & more Peter and Joanne Brown Foundation Pete Chamberlain* Hager (Bob & Judy) Family Fund Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation Estate of Diane Loomer Government of Canada - Heritage Fund Royal Bank of Canada Foundation
NOVA Gifts of $1,750-$4,999 Rick* & Lorraine Bennett Stephanie Carlson James* *** & Leslie Carter Richard & Valerie Dunsterville Marni Johnson*** & Gordon Roberts Larry & Sherry Killam Dick Loomer**
DENEBOLA Gifts of $450-$1,749 Ken & Wendy Affleck Bob & Anne Andrew Dick & Valerie Bradshaw Larry*** & Maggie Burr Joyce Campkin Vincent Carey & Ed Friesen* Ryan Christison - Health First Fitness Paul Cobban James Emery* *** & Rob McAllister* *** Moh & Yoland Faris, Don & Pat Hudson Elsie Jang Tom Kidd* Grace MacDonald Nancy McLeod Peter Mercer & Ginger Shaw Marg & Bob Rankin* *** Janine Reid Ian & Jane Strang Bruce & Lis Welch Jamie & Claire Wright RBC Day of Service Coordinator
RASALAS Gifts of $25-$449 Judith Allen Sue Anderlini Joan Anderson Joseph Anthony* Joan Apel Gordon & Minke Armstrong Judy Ashton Linda Ashton Douglas Au-Lange* * Designates Choir Members (2013-14) ** Designates Alumni *** Designates Directors **** Designates Staff Members
Dennis & Holly Back Jordan Back* Julie Backer Jean Badun Connie Bagnall Laura & Paul Baker Sam & Mary Balden Elaine Barkey Matthew Beale Brenda Benham Patricia Bice Paul Birch* Don & Lorna Blake BlueShore Financial Noreen Boyer Rynel Bradshaw John & Ruth Brock Verni Brown Maureen Burke Brooke Bury Suzan Butt Stash Bylicki* *** Beth Carter Marnie Carter Ken & Elaine Carty Michael Cavaletto* Samuel Cervantes Ted*** & Dorothy Chiasson Ryan Cho* Marylin Clark Larry Clausen Gretchen Cleveland Stuart & Meg Clyne Paul Cobban Tama & Maurice Copithorne Ken Cormier**** Jake Costello Jesse Costello Celine & John Cripps Russell Cripps* Rick Dehart Bill Denault Bernard & Brenda Dewonck Ricardo Diaz Count Enrico Dobrzensky Countess Aline Dobrzensky Moyra & Philip Dobson Dorothy Dolphin Valerie A Duma Garth Edwards* Ian Farthing* Cassandra Florio Judi & Graham Forst John Friswell Christopher & Jennifer Gaze Sally & Michael Geller Brian Gibson Karen Gilmore Beverly Wallace & Roger Girard Norma Goldie June & Paddy Gooderham Doug Graeb* Gillian Grassett
Hilda Gregory Michael Hall* Byron Hanson* Kyle Harland* Megan Harris Peter & Joan Hebb William Heese Joan Henderson Martha Lou Henley Carol & Richard Henriquez Ann de la Hey Bruce Hoffman* **** Ken Hollett* Rosalind Hollett Ray Horst* Patti & Dave Howard Robert Hutchison Phil Jack* Mike Jackman* Shaun Jackman* Jim & Ruth Jackson Hussein Janmohamed Elizabeth Jawl Carole Jinks Sophia Johl Peter Joosten* Liam Kearns* Danica Kell Janice Kelly Kay Kelly Gary & Louise Kenwood Bob & Deborah Keyes Linda King Liz Kirkland Jim Knight* Vlad Krajina Eric Kristensen* Katerina Kwon Alvin Lam Bill & Denny Lang Paul Larocque* *** Lynn Lepin Judith Lerner Roderick Locke* *** Richard & Marion Loney Sue & Clive Lonsdale David Love* & Jim Harcott Penny Lusztig Mark MacDonald* Gregory Magirescu* ** Greg Martin* Robert Mayhew Jason McArthur* Pina Mcdonald William McEachern Wendy McFeely Daniel McLeod Joan McLeod Nancy McMillin John McNee Douglas McRae Ian & Mary Lou Miles Greg Mohr*
Chris Moore* Shirley Nakata Les Nerling* John & Diane Norton Michael O'Brian & Inna Vlassev-O'Brian Katherine Paton Judith & Andrew Pike Jill Purdy Cesia Quintero Miles Ramsay Cliff Reinhardt* Kathy Richardson Loretta Riggins & Valerie Russell Bernard Roitberg Peggy Robertson Margaret Roe John & Marilyn Ross Paul Russell Masako & Lynn Ryan Clare Saadien Ryan Sagarbarria Danielle Saratan Ken Sawka Brad Scharfe Daniel Sheinin* Anne Sheppard Hyo Shim* Brittany Skinner Chuck & Jan Slonecker David Smith George & Frances Smith Helen Smith Michael Soderling* Peter Spira* Ted Steiner* Lesley Stowe & Geoffrey Scott Mary-Anne Stowe Kerry Strayton Barbara Sutherland Susan Sutherland Elke Swantje Abigail Sy Jo-Ann Ternier William Ting* Colleen & David Torrison Ken & Patsy Tolmie Edward Trevor-Smith Cathy Trimble Moyra Van Nus Susan & John Wade Richard & Mavourneen Wadge Rob Walker Kathryn Wasiuta Bruno Wall Beverly Wallace & Robger Girard Valerie Weeks Michael & Charlene Wellings Lorraine & Walter Welsford Sheila Wex Chris Wilson James Wright John Wyness*
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
2013-2014 Volunteers & Committee Members Ryoh Aihara Pablo Angulo Bruce Armstrong Jordan Back* Inge Bailey Bob Baker*** Rick Bennett* Margaret Birch Joyce Borg Ella Bowles Karen Buckley Larry Burr*** Vincent Carey David Carpenter**** James Carter* *** Pete Chamberlain Dorothy Chiasson Ted Chiasson*** Lisa Cormier Nathalie Cormier Tim Cormier Kayla Cox Bob Craig Garth Edwards* James Emery* *** Chris Finch Suzanne Finch Judi Forst Heidi Galileo Jennifer Gaze Martha Lou (‘Louie’) Henley Bruce Hoffman* **** Roz Hollett Marni Johnson*** * Designates Choir Members ** Designates Alumni *** Designates Directors **** Designates Staff Members
Cory Kelly Sally Laird Paul Laroque* *** Andrea Lee Rod Locke* *** David Love* Rob McAllister* *** Kerry Mahlman Greg Mohr* LaRee Mohr Helen Moon Louise Morin Sara Marreiros Eric Murphy Sally Murphy Art Newman Jan Newman Bryn Nixon Derek Page**** Jan Paris Lauren Paris Russell Paris Steph Pugsley Bob Rankin* Cliff Reinhardt* Jean Roan Mark Robinson Lucy Smith Ted Steiner* Elke Swantje William Ting Tijana Vignevic Hal Wake Dorothy Watts & Larry Young Claire Weeks Valerie Weeks Sheila Wex Anna Whelan Sue Wyness
Other Supporters
Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation
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2013–2014 Annual Report Chor Leoni Men’s Choir
Financial Report 2013-14 Season
Financially, Chor Leoni Men’s Choir had a very successful 2013-14 season. Performance revenue increased over the prior year by almost $65,000 (an increase of 37%), and accounted for almost half (46%) of our total revenue. This is extremely encouraging as it is an indicator of the organization’s health and sustainability over the long term. A further 50% of our revenue came from the following sources: 16% from donations and the proceeds from the “At Home” fundraising event; 16% from BC Gaming, Canada Council and local government grants; 14% from corporate and private foundations and sponsorships; and 4% from endowment funds where Chor Leoni receives the interest on contributions. We are extremely grateful for the generous support we received from these organizations and individuals. The remainder of our revenue (4%) was derived from CD sales, member dues and other income. As in prior years, we received substantial value in in-kind sponsorships, the value of which is reflected in the notes to the financial statements. The financial statements show only cash sponsorships. Normalizing for this accounting change, total revenues in 2013-14 were comparable to the prior year. Expenses decreased by almost $60,000 from 2012-13 (in which there was significant investment in the 20th Anniversary season and in the creation of a new web site). Net income was $18,226, an increase of $10,897 or 149% over the prior year. Total assets grew by $18,226 or 17.5%. The Diane Loomer Commissioning Fund grew to $29,857 and through the Fund we began the commission of a major work for men’s choir which will be completed in the coming year. Our MyVoice Fund (supporting our education programs) and the Touring Fund also continue to have healthy balances. Chor Leoni Men’s Choir is in strong financial shape and is well positioned for continued progress toward the organization’s strategic goals.
REVENUE
1.1% 4.3%
16.0% 1.2% 46.1% 12.8% 16.2% Performance Revenue CD Sales Government Grants/Gaming Foundations 2.3% Member Dues Donations/50-50/Raffles/Silent Auction Sponsorships Endowment, Interest & Other Income/Tour Fees
EXPENSES
0.2%
16.5%
1.0%
18.1%
—Marni Johnson, Board Treasurer
63.7%
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir 2013-2014 Financials
REVENUE Performance Revenue. ..............................................................................$237,939 CD Sales........................................................................................................$12,051 Government Grants .....................................................................................$68,800 BC Gaming Commission ............................................................................$15,000 Foundations..................................................................................................$66,252 Member Dues ................................................................................................$6,197 Donations .....................................................................................................$72,891 50-50/Raffles/Silent Auction .........................................................................$9,675 Sponsorships. .................................................................................................$5,544 Endowment Income ....................................................................................$21,190 Interest Income..................................................................................................$761 Other Income.......................................................................................................$61 Tour Fees...............................................................................................................$10 TOTAL REVENUES..................................................................................$516,371 EXPENSES Artistic & Performance...............................................................................$317,498 CD Production ................................................................................................$1,915 Administrative Personnel ............................................................................$90,367 Office & Other Administrative ....................................................................$82,117 Tour Fees .........................................................................................................$5,089 Amortization ...................................................................................................$1,159 TOTAL EXPENSES...................................................................................$498,145 NET ASSETS – Beginning of year ............................................................$104.392 NET ASSETS – End of year .......................................................................$122,618 Change in Net Assets...............................................................................$18,226 Net assets comprised of: Operating Fund ...........................................................................................$18,559 Touring Fund ................................................................................................$40,000 Capital Assets .................................................................................................$6,909 Diane Loomer Commissioning Fund ........................................................$29,857 MYVoice Fund ..............................................................................................$24,593 At Home Fund ................................................................................................$2,700 TOTAL NET ASSETS................................................................................$122,618
0.4%
Artistic & Performance CD Production Administrative Personnel Tour Fees Office & Other Administration Amortization
NET ASSETS
2.2%
15.1%
20.1%
32.6%
24.3% Operating Fund Touring Fund Capital Assets Diane Loomer Commissioning Fund MYVoice Fund At Home Fund
5.6%
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