Annual Reports
2024 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
2023 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
2022 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
2021 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
- Welcomed 4 new adult members into the choir throughout the year.
- We were asked to perform for a community service at Boulder Mennonite and Living Light of Peace.
- Board met with an outside consultant to collaborate on ideas for growth and concentrated efforts on building community relationships and outreach.
- Established connections with multiple organizations who support at-risk youth including Youth Advocate Program, Colorado Kids Belong, Raise the Future, The Light House and Project Foster Power.
- Reinvigorated social media efforts, resulting in measurable increases in growth, reach, and engagements.
- Resumed our successful "pie sale" fundraiser, with over 75% of the pies being made by choir members and the remaining pies donated by small, local bakeries in the metro Denver area.
- Closed out the year with a free concert, "Songs of Beauty and Light," featuring pieces from different cultures with the theme of finding beauty in the world and shining as a beacon of light in times of darkness.
2023 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
- Welcomed 2 new youth members into the choir!
- Resumed monthly family-style dinners before rehearsal
- Held a "mini concert" for our youth to have a performance opportunity
- Board met with an outside consultant to collaborate on ideas for growth
- Closed out the year with our annual community holiday caroling
2022 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
- March: Internationally acclaimed Dr. Rollo Dilworth facilitated a workshop for our choir. We were fortunate to spend time working on his arrangement of the spiritual, Take Me To The Water. He also spoke to us about the piece and about the larger role of spirituals in the American ethos.
- April: Soar was invited to perform at the Kempe Foundation's 50th Birthday Celebration.
- October: Performed at Stories of Identity: The Healing Power of the Spoken Word, an evening celebrating diverse lived experiences through a poetic journey at Unity Spiritual Center Denver.
- December: Community holiday caroling, with performances in front of the Denver Art Museum and the Denver City and County Building.
2021 Soar Choir Successes (Report of Activities)
- Added a members section to our website, facilitating easier access to rehearsal information, music, and practice tracks for choir members.
- July: Annual summer picnic was an opportunity to reconnect after over a year of not being together face to face.
- September: Resumed in-person rehearsals, with the proper precautions and safety measures in place.
- With mask mandates in place, to improve the singing experience during our in-person rehearsal, we provided singing-friendly masks to all choir members.
- September: Internationally renowned choral conductor and scholar, Dr. Anthony Trecek-King, joined Soar Youth and Adult Choir Music Director Emily Martin for an hour long conversation about The Silent Canon, the history and musical influence of spirituals, and the legacy of Black music in American culture.
- October: Our long-time accompanist, Romaine Anderson, spoke with us about his personal background, the impact of musical exposure starting at a young age, and diversifying professional music by bringing classical and other musical opportunities to underserved/underrepresented populations.
- Provided an opportunity for youth attending rehearsals in 2021 to see The Lion King at the Denver Performing Arts Complex in January 2022.