Welcome to the Boulder Chorale
A MESSAGE OF UNITY
Dear Boulder Chorale Community,
BLACK LIVES MATTER.
We at the Boulder Chorale want to state unequivocally that we support our Black community members, friends and family, and their rights to justice and equity.
As choral musicians, a great part of our mission is about inclusivity and diversity: inclusivity in musical choices, in membership, in staffing, and in the audience. Children in the Boulder Children’s Chorale are taught music from all around the world, and in many languages. The adult Concert Chorale and Chamber Chorale have made music with musicians from Argentina, Nepal, Brazil, New Orleans, Appalachia, and Europe – to name a few. Last summer, we brought the music of Duke Ellington to The Netherlands with our superb musical guests, including Dr. David Sharp, and Joslyn Ford-Keel, two revered African-American dancer/musicians from Colorado. Choral singing is about embodying the lives and cultures of others so as to embrace and celebrate our common humanity. We believe that few things can transmit cultural understanding the way music can.
But we also acknowledge that we are centered in Boulder, one of the least diverse places in Colorado. We acknowledge that we live in a privileged and wealthy city. It is not always easy for us to have experiences with people of color that create knowledge and understanding. And so, we make this promise: to listen more, to learn more, to reach out more, to leave our place of privilege so as to meet others where they are, and to stand with our Black brothers and sisters and ALL those who encounter bigotry of any kind.
Music is a healing force that has, and will continue to, help heal the world and bring people together. We trust that when we are able to return to our Boulder Chorale community, we will be stronger and more committed to each other and to you.
Thank you for being a part of our family.
In solidarity,
Dr. Vicki Burrichter, Boulder Chorale Artistic Director, and the Boulder Chorale Board of Directors