Noteworthy | July 2018
In this month's newsletter...

In celebration of 25 years of Conspirare, we invite you to collaborate and deepen your experience with us! From Ambassador opportunities and enjoying the new season to auditions for the youth choirs and attending Austin Chamber Music summer concerts with fellow Conspirare fans, there are countless ways to experience Conspirare. Travel the US with us for Considering Matthew Shepard, or listen to Matt Alber and Ruthie Foster from the comfort of home--we'd love to be a meaningful part of your plans and world.
I Dream a World 18-19 Season Tickets on Sal e

Dream a world with us through song as we celebrate
the 25th anniversary of an extraordinary musical journey! As our world has changed over the past quarter century, our mission to enrich lives and engage the heart with listening experiences grounded in creativity, integrity, and devotion to world-class choral performances remains constant. Conspirare will perform an Austin season and return to San Antonio, Houston, and Victoria!

Austin performance tickets go on sale to the public Monday, August 1st.

Priority ticket sales for Austin performances will open on Monday, July 16th for donors of who have made a total annual gift of $500 or more between July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018. Eligible donor have been sent priority ordering information.

Purchase tickets at  conspirare.org  or by calling the box office at 512.474.5664

For complete performance schedule and ticket information visit our season webpage.
Conspirare in Bernstein Mass

Congratulations to all the performers and Merick Strategies on two sold-out performances of the Bernstein MassWe enjoyed seeing so many members of our Conspirare family on stage and in the audience.  Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson served as Associate Conductor for the production and each our choirs had representation among the cast.  Mass soloists included many of our Grammy  Award-winning singers. The Bernstein100Austin choir was composed of members of the  Symphonic Choir with singers from  Chorus Austin and  Panoramic Voices.  CYC  Kantorei member, Jacob Baird, sang the featured boy soprano role.  For a recap of Mass, check out these reviews by Michael Barnes for Austin360 and by Frank Benge for Broadway World Review.  Photos of the production can be viewed here.

ACM

Austin Chamber Music

We are excited to be collaborating with Austin Chamber Music to share news of each other's performances. During this quiet month at Conspirare we invite you to enjoy ACM's summer concerts and special discount tickets.

The 22nd Annual Austin Chamber Music Festival is underway, with two weeks left of the best of the best in chamber music! Conspirare fans and friends will particularly love performances by invoke and Brooklyn Duo. On July 14, The Adventures of Prince Achmed , a 1926 German animated fairytale film by Lotte Reiniger, plays backdrop to the pioneering and innovative sounds of invoke. On July 21, YouTube sensation Brooklyn Duo will weave classical artistry into original arrangements of pop music, along with some traditional music mixed in.

For more information and tickets click here or call 512-454-0026. Use Code CONSPIRARE15 for 15% off 1-2 tickets or CONSPIRARE25 for 25% off 3+ tickets to invoke or Brooklyn Duo.

Spotlight
Donor Spotlight: Nancy Lesch and Janet Bezner

Nancy Lesch (left) and Janet Bezner (right)
Nancy Lesch and her partner, Janet Bezner, are not only experts in health  and wellness and organizational strategy, but they are both dedicated supporters of Conspirare. They've been critical guides for planning our future growth, and we are grateful for their contributions.
 
Nancy Lesch has served on the Board of Directors for Conspirare for the last four years, including serving as chair, overseeing the development of Conspirare's new strategic plan, and helping to launch the organization's 25th anniversary commemorative year. She holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Texas at Austin and has sung with Conspirare's Symphonic Choir for eight years. In her professional life, Lesch brings more than 30 years of wellness industry experience aimed at engaging large-scale employers in supporting healthy living. Her specialties include product development, strategic consulting, and client relationship management. Her work is focused on supporting her clients with innovative ways to drive higher engagement among employees and better health outcomes.
 
Janet Bezner, Nancy's life partner, has conducted both pro-bono and paid consulting for organizations seeking to implement strategic plans. Nancy enlisted Janet to share her expertise as an organizational development consultant with Conspirare; in this capacity Janet worked in tandem with Nancy to develop our newly launched, three-year strategic plan. Janet currently works as an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Texas State University. She joined the faculty at Texas State in Fall 2014, having taught at Southwest Texas State earlier in her career. Dr. Bezner also has served as a staff Vice President at the American Physical Therapy Association for 9 years. Her PhD is in health education from the University of Texas, and her interests and expertise are in health promotion, prevention and wellness.  

We would like to thank Nancy and Janet for their leadership and philanthropy. Their expertise in planning has been a gift to Conspirare.

To learn more about contributors to Conspirare,  please visit our Donor Spotlight webpage.
Ambassador
Picture Yourself Here: Conspirare Ambassadors


25 New Ambassadors for Our 25th Year!
Our goal for this milestone anniversary season is to fill 25 new Volunteer Ambassador positions. Please join us!

Conspirare relies on the dedication of our Ambassador team to fill critical roles behind the scenes. From administrative work to service at concerts, we have a wide variety of opportunities to fit with your skills. We value and appreciate your time, and there are no monthly or orientation meetings or requirements for service hours--we are dedicated to making volunteering an exciting and fun opportunity to experience the joy of Conspirare. In return for your much needed support, Conspirare provides a seat for you in the audience for any concert that you may be serving.  Please contact House Manager Kathy Leighton ( kleighton@conspirare.org ) to sign up and get more information.

Coming this September
We have a fun event in the making to honor both returning Ambassadors and newcomers! More details will be announced soon for late September. 

If you would like to read about others who have made an impact through their volunteer work, please visit our ambassador webpage.

CYC
Picture Your Child on Stage in Austin and Beyond
Upcoming Auditions for Conspirare Youth Choirs' 14th Season Are
July 28th and August 4th!  

CYC is a wonderful opportunity for young singers to receive  vocal, theory, and sight-singing instruction in a nurturing environment. Beyond training, the choir members travel  and perform throughout the United States. Singers perform a broad range of repertoire spanning historical eras from Renaissance to modern day and different styles from Gospel and Jazz to oratorio and art song literature. Artistic Director Nina Revering and CYC collaborate with some of Austin's finest musicians. If this sounds like the kind of creative experience that your child and family might enjoy, please consider our upcoming CYC auditions!
   
To sign up for auditions and learn more, visit https://conspirare.org/youth-choirs/join-us/audition/

PS CYC's Artistic Director, Nina Revering, is spending July in Crested Butte, Colorado, where she will once again direct the Opera Children's chorus for their Summer Music Festival. This summer her singers will participate with the Opera Studio in a fully-staged production of Verdi's beloved opera Falstaff and will also perform a stand-alone concert of music for the Crested Butte Community. Congratulations Nina!
MerchandiseChristmas in July: Ruthie Foster and Matt Alber

We are excited to share that Conspirare favorites Ruthie Foster 
and  Matt  Alber will be the featured artists this coming December in our annual, beloved Conspirare Christmas concert. In anticipation of this year's event, you can relive their beautiful performances on two of our previous Christmas albums, Singing Heart and Unclouded Day, now available from iTunes and Amazon.  


Preview or follow links to download or stream the albums SingingHeart and Unclouded Day* from our Recordings page. To order CDs, visit our shop (*Note: CDs are currently out of stock for Unclouded Day, but you can listen on Spotify or download through Amazon via the link provided.)

Events
Upcoming Events
We're looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming performances and events!

September
12th | Considering Matthew Shepard  | Martin Theatre  Ravinia Festival | Highland Park, IL
14th | Considering Matthew Shepard | Goshen College | Goshen, IN
16th | Considering Matthew Shepard | Midland Center for the Arts | Midland, MI
17th | Considering Matthew Shepard | Bowling Green State University | Bowling Green, OH

October
 
7th| Considering Matthew Shepard | The Lincoln Center | Fort Collins, CO
12th |   Considering Matthew Shepard  |  North Dakota State University | Fargo, ND
ADD 

November
16th |  Bach PlusThe Chapel of the Incarnate Word |  San Antonio, TX
17th | Bach Plus St. Matthew's Episcopal Church |   Austin, TX  

December
  6th | Conspirare Christmas | Victoria Bach FestivalVictoria, TX 
  7th | Conspirare Christmas |  Saint Luke's United Methodist Church |   Houston,  TX 
  8th | Conspirare Christmas |  The Carillon |  Austin, TX
  9th | Conspirare Christmas |  The Carillon  |  Austin,  TX
10th | Conspirare Christmas |  The Long Center  |  Austin,  TX

11th | Conspirare Christmas | The Tobin Center | San Antonio, TX


Look for more details on our website.
 512.476.5775 | www.conspirare.org
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