Content Copyright 2001 Sister Singers Network
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Sister Singers 2001 Festival
Meeting
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Meeting facilitated by Chris Reed, network treasurer, and Velma Wagner, Calliope Women’s Chorus, Minneapolis, MN.
We opened the meeting with introductions from all attending. A list of attendees follows these minutes as appendix i. Echo (Linda Ray), one of two co-founders of SSN was present, and was asked to take the floor and present a brief herstory of the network. This appears in the festival notebook and as an appendix to these minutes (appendix ii).
Chris asked Carol Wheeler of Bread and Roses Feminist Singerss, Washington, DC, to talk about e-communication, specifically the choruswomen e-list, owned by Eileen Stone, Atlanta, and the network website which Carol created and maintains. Brief discussion ensued about the value of both of these e-tools for general communication and networking.
We then set an agenda for our two days of meetings as follows.
E-communication
International aspects of SSN
How to vitalize and sustain SSN
Future of SSN choral festivals
New choral works – support of composers and arrangers
Member directory – hard copy vs. electronic
Membership dues
Mission Statement – whether to reclaim the “f” word (“feminism”)
Before we began with the topics above we discussed the nature of Sister Singers as a “network” as opposed to an “organization.” Essentially we clarified that as a network we exist to facilitate linkage with each other. This is borne out in SSN having no structure, no key roles other than treasurer and “hub” with assigned duties. Discussion ranged to what other services might be beneficial for member choruses; what activities and actions had transpired previously (e.g. a semi-annual newsletter; creation of caucuses within the network for women of color, one advocating accessibility issues, one for women of Jewish identification travel expense subsidy/sharing). There was discussion about filing for 501c3 status and all the things that can follow from that (grant-writing, paid work to accomplish goals we might set). Where we got, so that we could get on with the agenda we had set, was accepting the nature of our being a network, currently with no coordinating or directing body, and that we will need to prioritize our needs and meet more frequently in order to accomplish some things, including the possible change in our structure to create a role for a coordinating body to carry on work between meetings and be responsible for following up with others.
Chris Reed, long-time treasurer, reported that the network has $1911 in our checking account and $800 in a short-term certificate of deposit. These funds in the checking account were generated from dues; the money in the CD is a bequest from the seventh choral festival (in Cincinnati), where network members decided to set aside any surplus beyond the choral festival “seed money” for the network to use to subsidize travel of caucus members to future network meetings. We actually used this money to bring women to meetings in Chicago, winter of 1994, and San Diego, winter of 1995. Chris further clarified that she has declined to solicit dues for the past two years because she believed that we had sufficient funds to perform the minimal functions we were carrying out, and that until the network “revitalized” and began to show more value for dues paid, or have a goal for new funds, she didn’t believe there was a reason to solicit dues.
E-Communication
We have our own web page where there is an electronic directory of known women’s choruses (not just SSN members). Carol Wheeler created and maintains the web page. Minutes of SSN meetings, information of general interest to women’s chorus issues (the “wheel” shop, as in “reinventing the wheel”) also appear within the web page. Eileen Stone owns the choruswomen e-list to which many subscribe. This functions like an electronic bulletin board for posting information and for conducting open discourse about chorus-related matters. For example, choruses post concert dates and information via e-mail to the list. Women seeking materials or information such as scores, how to contact composers, arrangers, etc., put out queries via the e-list, and answers come to/through the e-list, for all to read. There was discussion about whether communication via the internet was more viable than U.S. Postal Service mail. When it comes to communicating with choruses, neither method is 100% effective because of the difficulty maintaining up-to-date contact names/addresses and because choruses vary in how well they communicate within their membership. For the time being, we decided to use both methods. As an example, the interim directory that we will put out yet this calendar year will be incorporated into the SSN web page AND be mailed to membCer choruses, using the most current address we have.
International Aspects of SSN
Two choruses from Canada are participating in this festival (Eighth
International Women’s Choral Festival, Grand Rapids, Michigan). Do
we want to promote more participation, and how can we? One of the
Canadian choristers shared that the exchange rate makes coming to the U.S.
for these gatherings more costly for them. The question was raised
about discounting registrations for foreign choruses. In theory
that is a good idea; however, in actuality SSN festival registration fees
are already pretty low. Since this proposal was made to current festival
organizers after they had created their budget, established their fees,
there was little discount that could be extended, except to “authorize”
Canadian singers to all pay the lowest end of the sliding scale fee.
Future festival organizers could keep this consideration in mind from the
outset of planning. E-communication definitely favors international
participation/interest.
Carrying the Network Forward / Future Festivals
Discussion about levels of network activity down through the years,
different structures, functions we’ve tried to add. What it seems
to come down to is that when there are regular women’s choral festivals,
network activity is lively and even innovative/creative. When we
go a long time between festivals, network activity/vitality ebbs.
Do we want to make some changes to insure that we will network regularly with or without festivals? Is there some organization we could impose that would enable us to carry on music sharing, empowerment and utilization of women composers and arrangers even if there is no festival happening? Velma Wagner of Calliope Women’s Chorus (Mpls, MN), the originator of our matrix organization and the first network “Hub” gave background of our structure. Others added history about “ad hoc” committees that formed when interest/energy levels were high. The current structure requires member choruses to take initiative, convening meetings, extending invitations for regional get-togethers. The observation was made that this is a feminist model, in contrast to a hierarchical model utilizing an adminiatrator and/or board of directors who conduct business and initiate actions. Drawbacks/advantages discussed.
We also discussed possibly amending our mission statement to state the necessity of member choruses to actively participate to keep the network vital. Carol Wheeler, our web goddess(Bread and Roses Feminist Chorus/Washington, DC) and Robin Bechofer (Womonsong/Madison, WI) both spoke, asking for back-up in their separate efforts. Carol wants a back-up person for maintaining the website. Robin had volunteered to update and publish an interim network directory in hard-copy form. Midge Stocker of Artemis Singers, Chicago, volunteered to become web demi-goddess and Liz Jones of ACCO, central Pennsylvania volunteered to take over the directory update. Thanks to both!
What about applying for 501c3 status and writing grants for funding to hire someone as a part-time administrator, executive director to carry on work? While all possibilities, the consensus was that these were solutions beyond the current need. Right now, we need to continue to meet regularly, even if it means dove-tailing with chorus activities. As an example, the meeting previous to festival took place last October in Chicago, on the weekend of Artemis’s 20th anniversary concert. If we made a point of setting a meeting place and approximate time before concluding every meeting, that would ensure continuity. Pam Blevins of the Indianapolis Women’s Chorus volunteered to host a fall 2001 meeting. She also informed the group that IWC is interested in hosting a/the next women’s choral festival.
Questions about whether GALA could provide any organization or any administrative overlap/help for our network efforts. There is a panel discussion with GALA folks later in the festival schedule, so we should re-visit this topic Sunday.
The SSN website and the choruswomen e-list kept coming up as methods that enhance/promote communication and networking.
The meeting concluded with the expectation that we would pick up the discussion Sunday morning. All were encouraged to return, also to attend the GALA/SSN panel later in the day.
Meeting notes taken by Barbara Schutzenhofer, transcribed by Chris Reed
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