Statements

Mission

Concert Chorale of Nashville seeks to enrich the Middle Tennessee area through free concerts of choral of music that benefit local non-profit organizations.

Background

The Concert Chorale of Nashville was founded in 1998 by Sherry Hill Kelly, both in response to requests by her former students for a performance opportunity, and also as an educational tool to increase the exposure to and knowledge of classical choral music in Middle Tennessee. The Chorale is composed of musicians from widely varied careers and backgrounds and includes teachers, physicians, lawyers, homemakers,and carpenters in addition to professional musicians. Over the course of its lifetime more than one hundred different singers have enjoyed at least one season of making music with the Chorale. The music performed has ranged from ancient to modern, from classical to folk tunes, and from secular to sacred with a recent emphasis on music by Tennessee composers. We have presented several benefit concerts and have performed in venues throughout Middle Tennessee, including downtown Nashville and the surrounding areas as well as Clarksville and Centerville where we have provided free concerts as a platform to raise money and awareness of community needs including organziations helping our communty's homeless population and battered women.

Impact

The Concert Chorale of Nashville performed Handel's Messiah with orchestral accompaniment and soloists from around southeast region of the US to a large and enthusiastic audience in December. The December concert always benefits Room in the Inn, a local nonprofit that serves the homeless population in Nashville. Our spring concerts this year were cut short because of COVID-19, but we were able to have one performance in March 2020 at St. David's Episcopal Church in Nashville. The concert included arrangements of hymns old and new, and proceeds went toward the work of Camp Able, whose mission is to build community for people with special needs. Our concerts are provided free of charge with donations accepted.

Needs

1. We need funding to support the collaborative musicians who assist us in presenting our community free concerts that benefit local nonprofits 2. We need talented and committed singers who believe in our mission and wish to join us. 3. We need to develop a network of organizations similar to ours so that we may benefit from each others' strengths. 4. We need corporate support for our concerts so that we may offer free admission to the people of Middle Tennessee. 5. We need audience members!!!

CEO Statement

The Concert Chorale of Nashville is a unique organization from several perspectives. First and foremost, they are superb musicians chosen by auditions from the best vocalists in Middle Tennessee. Music critics consistently remark on the quality and quantity of sound produced by the ensemble. Second, this is not only a performance group. The Chorale has chosen to support the tradition of vocal music through education and through the promotion of developing artists in the region. It is this focus on retaining the past glory of vocal music through the education of the musicians of the future that has made the Concert Chorale a unique and vibrant organization, and a valued member of the Middle Tennessee arts community.

Board Chair Statement

The Concert Chorale was founded more than fifteen years ago by an all-volunteer group of musicians who wanted to preserve the classical vocal music tradition through performances and education programs. In addition to performing and teaching, we design the programs, write the advertising, and attempt to find the funds to do it again the next year. Our success is a tribute to the strength of our founder and leader, Sherry Hill Kelly, and the tenacity of our major behind-the-scenes worker, David Ford, and our tireless Board of Directors. Unfortunately, we have reached the point in our growth and development that these volunteer efforts of our members are insufficient to get the work done. In addition, we now face significant competition for singers from church choirs who pay their members to enhance the worship experience for their congregations. We have been very successful in developing and maintaining a faithful core group of members and in developing creative and successful partnerships with the public schools; however, if we are to maintain our level of musical professionalism and our involvement with the support of young artists, we need to develop a strategic plan and increase fundraising and grants. Any support you can provide will go to expand our efforts to bring free music to the community as a platform to bring awareness and raise money for our community charities.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Music
Secondary Category:	Education  - Educational Services
Tertiary Category:	Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy  - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution

Areas Served

Middle Tennessee and south-central Kentucky

TN - Cheatham

TN - Davidson

TN - Hickman

TN - Montgomery

TN - Robertson

TN - Rutherford

TN - Sumner

TN - Williamson

TN - Wilson