Dear Friends,
For 26 years, Milwaukee Children’s Choir (MCC) has helped shape area youth, ages 6-18, through innovative choral music education and unique performance experiences. Through the years, MCC has seen significant changes, from organizational restructuring and staff and Board turnover, to program expansion and reorientation of the choirs. The changes further strengthen our mission and positively impact on our singers, who are always on the forefront of our minds.
We briefly mention our history as MCC faces another transition. The organization has recently parted ways with Executive Artistic Director Lynn Swanson. During her time at MCC, Ms. Swanson restructured the choirs to better fit the needs of our singers, hired and developed an amazing artistic staff, and created new partnerships to expand opportunities for MCC singers. We cannot be more thankful for her work with MCC, especially during our 25th anniversary season last year.
Despite the change in leadership, our artistic and administrative staff are dedicated to their positions, the singers and our mission. Staff also continue to foster an environment where teamwork is valued and necessary. We are thrilled to work with such a talented group of individuals.
We also look forward to hosting our upcoming concerts Imagine on February 22 and Families on May 2. The concerts are sure to inspire as our youth come together to sing about world peace and love. Following our final concert of the season, we will participate in Milwaukee Ballet’s Peter Pan in May and then leave for Washington D.C. for concert tour in June. We have a great season ahead of us and are excited to finish it strong.
As we look beyond this season and into the next, the Board is committed to MCC and to bringing the best choral music education opportunities to our youth. To do that, the Board of Directors is returning to the structure the organization had from 2011-2018 where the Executive Artistic Director was separated into two roles: Executive Director and Artistic Director. With the two job positions reviewed and confirmed by the Board of Directors, we can take the next steps forward.
The Board of Directors is creating a hiring committee that will undertake a national search for MCC’s next Artistic Director. The group will include a professional recruiter and individuals serving local arts organizations. Over the next months, the committee will be devoted to finding the right individual for the role, with a goal of filling the position before the end of the 2019-2020 season. As we move through this process, we will update you on our progress. Once completed, we will host an introductory event for parents, donors and volunteers to meet the new Artistic Director.
We want to thank you and our community for your patience while we take the steps necessary to make this organization the best it can be. Choral music education is so important to our singers, and it is important to us that our singers achieve their fullest potential.
With warm regards,
Milwaukee Children’s Choir Board of Directors