Dear Ann,

We are in the midst of full weeks - just wrapping Hidden Music: Soul Radiance and feeling the excitement as our Symphonic Choir begins their final All-Night Vigil rehearsals and Basso Profundo Glenn A. Miller arrives in Austin to join the choir. We are grateful for these frequent opportunities to remember the power of singing.

As we close this season, we are excited to share the dates for our Fall 2025 concerts below along with community touchpoints and important news from the NEA. Your presence as a member of this community matters so much to us.

These times beckon for moments of inspiration and Craig has one for us Inside Craig's Studio.

Hidden Music: Soul Radiance was a night to remember! We loved being together with friends new and familiar to share an evening of music, food, connection, generosity and fun!

Emcee Dorothy O'Shea Overbey wove together an evening of spoken and musical stories that illustrated Conspirare's impact. Bass and self-described "Conspirare OG" Rick Gabrillo compared Conspirare's history to a growing tree, speaking about his lifechanging work with high school singers to prepare them to sing with Conspirare from the audience for concerts including Considering Matthew Shepard and Conspirare Christmas. He closed with a powerful reminder: "Choir really changes our lives...know that together, we will make something beautiful."

Author Paula D'Arcy inspired guests with a reflection on her generosity, reflecting that "When I give to Conspirare, I don't give only to Conspirare, but I give to music and how this moves through the world, and the healing and the hope it gives and the benefit it is in this world."

Attendees rose in a standing ovation for Susanna and Richard Finnell (pictured above center), the evening's honorees. We are profoundly grateful to Suasanna and Richard for the many ways they embody the spirit of Conspirare.

Craig expressed his deep thanks for all who support our work and spoke about the heart of Conspirare: "We want to create great art, create a space for great community, and we want to create space where we can really wake up with each to the deepest, richest human experience together as a human family...carrying the Song that is much more than just a Song."

Craig had everyone smiling with a happy songs mashup including listener-suggested favorites from the Fig Newton jingle to "Wonderful World" to "Rocky Mountain High." Virtuoso saxophonist and Conspirare's newest board member Elias Haslanger joined Craig for "America the Beautiful". You can listen to the original version of the evening's music on the Hidden Music Spotify Playlist.

We are grateful to all who attended. Together we raised a total of $229,696 for musical experiences that inspire, transform, and build community. Your generosity will impact the lives of so many and we want to express our deep gratitude to our generous table hosts, sponsors, donors, live and silent auction contributors, and the event committee.

Go behind the scenes of Hidden Music and Conpsirare with Fun In Fundraising. Podcast host Rob Giardinelli and Craig talk about how to build and retain a world-class ensemble, connect meaningfully with donors, and create events that leave a lasting emotional impact.

The Westwood High School Winter Guards presented a community performance of their love letter to Austin. The show was by inspired and performed to the music of Conspirare including "I Love You - What a Wonderful World." Congratulations to Conspirare tenor and WWHS Color Guard Instructor Mark Istratie and his students for bring our music to a new audience!

Conspirare tenors and basses filled James Turrell Skypace in our debut at Songs in the Skyspace, a collaboration with Landmarks, The University of Texas' public art program Bass John Proft conducted a program he called "Remembering Sky." The sundown light sequence and music was a truly singular experience.

On Friday evening, May 2, Conspirare was notified by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that our current ReCast grant would be terminated. We are communicating with our NEA representative about how this impacts us as funds have been drawn.

The NEA's cancellation of previously awarded Arts Project Grants impacts hundreds of arts organizations and came on the same day that President Donald Trump released a budget proposal that calls for eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts. The Theatre Communications Group thoroughly covered this news in Trump Proposes Elimination of NEA and NEH.

The NEA is an important source of funding for Conspirare. Typically $35,000 or more, NEA grants can fund 20% or more of the production costs for a project. Previous grants have supported concerts, recordings, and tours including Considering Matthew Shepard, Hear Me Out, The Poet Sings: Landays, and more. You can view a complete list here.

Now is the time to make your voice heard. Please contact your members of Congress to tell them why funding the NEA matters to you!

Glenn A. Miller returns for this week's performances of All-Night Vigil. Experience his musical gifts in "Do Not Cast Me Off in My Old Age," Pavel Tchesnokov's concerto for basso profundo as heard on the GRAMMY®-winning The Sacred Spirit of Russia.

The music and message of Considering Matthew Shepard continutes to reverberate. Craig Hella Johnson's oratorio has now been performed in over 225 cities and counting. Conspirare and the Matthew Shepard Foundation support choirs performing CMS with a variety of resources.

Wilmington Voices is among the choirs performing CMS in May. Founder Angela Burns, who has performed CMS with Conspirare, reflected: "This has been a magical, exhausting, fulfilling, once in a lifetime opportunity to sing in my hometown about “love over hate.” We are all Matt, we’re all Ordinary people just trying to make a difference. Our musicians have worked hard and performed beautifully. Grateful."

Read more about their performance in this story from WWAYTV3.

All Night Vigil 

Thursday, May 8 at 8:00 PM

Saturday, May 10 at 8:00 PM - SOLD OUT

St. Martin's Lutheran Church

Purchase Tickets

Experience Rachmaninoff's profound All-Night Vigil performed by the Conspirare Symphonic Choir with internationally-renowned Basso Profundo Glenn Miller. Pre-concert conversation at 7 pm both nights with Glenn A. Miller and Cynthia I. Gonzales, PhD.

Fall 2025 Concerts - Save the Date



Piedra del Sol

September 26 and 27, 2025

Experience the world premiere of Joby Talbot’s Piedra del Sol. This Spanish-language work is a setting of the Octavio Paz poem of the same name; it promises to be deeply moving and will showcase our GRAMMY®-winning singers’ virtuosity.

Conspirare Christmas: House of Love with Guest Artist Carrie Rodriguez

December 6 and 7, 2025 in Austin, TX

Stay tuned for ticket information and the full season!

The Song we sing and the people like you we gather with are so important in this time. Thank you to each of your who has supported us with your presence, attention, time, talent and investment.

We’re taking an entrepreneurial approach as we adapt to the declining availability of government funding and other changes in charitable giving. We will launch our final fund drive of the season soon and hope that you will consider a gift if your circumstances permit.

Please contact me if you would like additional information about Conspirare or would just like to say hello! We learn so much from our community members like you.

With gratitude on behalf of All of Us at Conspirare,

Ann

Ann McNair

Managing Director