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Why Become A Friend Of VCS?

September 10, 2014

Friends_Sticker“What do you do with the money VCS raises? Why should I give?” 

It’s a fair question that a new singer raised about our fall “Friends of VCS” campaign. I’ve gotten that question several times in the four years I’ve been involved with VCS. And my answer has never changed: VCS asks for your support because we strongly believe that we are ALL better off with great music and a commitment to the arts. 
Why VCS? That’s a slightly longer answer. 

The DC-metro region is choir central in the US. Go anywhere in the area, start singing* and I’ll bet you’ll quickly have an audience, or perhaps even company – whether it’s opera or a beatboxed Pachelbel Canon in D.

Even so, VCS is unique in this culture-rich neighborhood.

We’re a non-audition teaching choir with high expectations of artistic excellence and great music. And we recognize the diversity of our community, serving them with an ecletic repertoire ranging from modern American classical pieces to coffee house classics. We dream big, take huge creative chances, and frequently surprise audiences. And you, our audience, have always consistently come back for more, curious about what we’re about to offer, and supportive of how we have no idea that “we can’t do that!”

Which is when the rubber hits the road—We are essentially a non-profit choir with three part-time staff. “More” takes resources.

Traditionally, we’ve made do with dues, advertising, and grants. However, as anyone in the arts will tell you, we compete for an ever-dwindling source of grants, and American corporate involvement in the arts has declined steadily and precipitously across the board in the last 20 years. More frighteningly, arts education has declined steadily as well. As one arts manager put it at a recent conference I went to, “It’s not that just that the next generation may not recognize or know the classics. It’s that they may not know who Beethoven is at all.”

Whether you think knowing Beethoven’s 9th from his 5th is important for everyday life, there’s little argument about the ripple effect of what happens when the arts disappear: Our lives become a bit more colorless. We have fewer moments where we’re part of something bigger. And the non-joiners among us have less beauty and music to find solace in when we’re crammed like sardines on the Red Line or surviving that last mile on the Beltway.

For those of us who look at the longer term and want a place where the next generation is welcome, our family-friendly concerts are a huge draw—a place for younger audiences to discover great music, and yes, learn how to be so that paying big bucks for the Kennedy Center “Lion King” treat begins to make sense. And like all of us, they too rediscover what the human voice really sounds like when unleashed from the confines of an MP3 file.
image via Healthbuzz

image via Healthbuzz

VCS not only offers a great experience to singers and audiences, it creates a place where the arts can thrive, serve the community, and enrich us all immeasurably with experiences and memories that stay with us.

We are determined to keep doing all of that, but be a self-sustaining arts organization that doesn’t depend on any one major source of revenue. We MUST be able to support ourselves so we can remain a relevant and integral part of our larger community, and continue to offer great music, highlight great issues in our concerts for a cause, and offer family-friendly concerts where the next generation has a place to discover the arts — whether it’s Beethoven or Billy Joel.

That is why we ask you to become a Friend of VCS. 

A small donation from you, as little as $25, helps us successfully produce another season of the music you have come to expect and appreciate from us. Because we are all too aware of the many great causes out there—like the ones we work with and work to support at our annual concerts for a cause—we only do this once a year in September. And because we want to acknowledge and appreciate your donation, which is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law, “Friends of VCS” recieve our public thanks and enjoy special benefits on concert night.

Would you like to become a Friend of VCS today? Find out more and become a Friend today by sending us email at info@viennachoralsociety.org or talking to one of our singers.
thank you note for every language

image courtesy woodleywonderworks/flickr

*Okay maybe not on Metro, and definitely during rush. 

Tagged With: community, friends of vcs, fundraising, Music, vienna choral society

About

Welcome to VCS! We are a teaching, non-audition choir where all voices and skill levels are welcome. We invite you to learn more about who we are, what we do, and if there's a place for you in our choir.

More questions? Drop us a line at

Click here for our terms and conditions

For Singers

Active choir members, find what you need here for rehearsal tracks, registration and dues, any membership updates, section leader information, Friends of VCS info, and more.

Contact

703-349-7150

PO Box 310, Vienna, VA 22183

Sponsorship

Would you like to sponsor us? We have a loyal, growing, diverse, educated, and discerning audience that considers it worth supporting the arts. Be part of this community! Email us with the word 'sponsorship' in the subject line at

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