JOINT DAY OF GIVING: DO MORE 24 AND #GIVINGTUESDAYNOW

This spring has been a difficult one. While responding to and caring for our neighbors during the health crisis take precedence, we know that people and organizations are feeling the financial strain. In the performing arts world, we can't be together in the ways we normally would, and we've canceled what we had hoped would be a celebratory season to do our part to protect the health of our members and community.

To be transparent, this difficult but necessary decision didn't come without a cost. For us, the cancellation of our 15th anniversary season ("Here We Grow: 15 Years of the 18th Street Singers") will have financial consequences. This is why we have decided to participate in two online giving campaigns on Tuesday, May 5th: Do More 24 and #GivingTuesdayNow day of giving.

Earlier this year, we committed to commissioning two up-and-coming young composers for works that we would premiere this spring. That spring performance won't happen, but we remain committed to those composers. Now, our goal is to raise funds to cover those commissions and recoup the financial loss of canceling our June concert. As of now, we are 53% of the way to this goal. We can't wait to perform these beautiful pieces for you once we can all be together again.

If you are able, can you make a donation to support the 18th Street Singers in our 15th Anniversary Season?

Ways to donate 

If it makes sense for you financially, please consider helping us fulfill our spring 2020 commissions to two up-and-coming composers and continue to provide access to choral music to new and younger audiences. There are 3 easy ways to donate.

     1) Visit https://www.domore24.org/18thstreetsingers on Tuesday, May 5th
     to donate as a part of #DoMore24 in the DC region and as a part of
     #GivingTuesdayNow across the country 

     2) Visit http://www.18thstreetsingers.com/15th-anniversary-fundraiser 
     to make a one time or monthly donation through PayPal

     3) Mail a check made out to "The 18th Street Singers" to:
                18th Street Singers c/o Lily Roberts (Managing Director)
                115 New York Ave NW, Unit #2
                Washington, DC 20001

No gift is too small to make an impact. Each tax-deductible donation will help us continue to connect with audiences and the arts community when we can safely gather again. 

THANK YOU!

18th Street Singers Cancel Spring 2020 Season

April 2, 2020

Dear 18th Street Singers family,

After carefully monitoring the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic over the last month, the 18th Street Singers has made the difficult decision to cancel our formal spring season and June concert. Our hope is that by summer it will be medically appropriate to hold auditions and all come together again for our fall 2020 season.  

While we had wished to reconvene as soon as possible, our first obligation is to the well-being of the community. Like any community, many of our group have underlying health conditions, some of us are pregnant or have young children, some of us live with or provide care for older family members. In addition to the risks that gathering for rehearsals poses to our own Singers’ health, the traditional end product of our season -- gathering with hundreds of you, our community and audience members, in a small space for a concert -- poses further obvious health challenges.

As you know, our spring concert is the product of many months of dedicated weekly work that we undertake as a group. While we are disappointed and saddened to make this difficult decision, we also hope that this cancellation will keep both our audience and members from going through cycles of anticipation and disappointment if we continued to reevaluate on a weekly basis.

The cancellation of our performances and those of other groups around the country will result in significant financial challenges for arts groups and artists themselves. While the 18th Street Singers is rare in operating as an all-volunteer non-profit, we still do have ongoing costs for in-progress commissions, and thousands of other arts groups are facing existential challenges around their payrolls and ongoing viability. We encourage you to consider allocating what you would have spent on tickets or performances this spring for donations to local arts groups. 

For those of you who already purchased a ticket to “A More Perfect Unison” on April 19th, Eventbrite refunds will automatically be processed soon. Should there be any issues with this refund, please contact us at info@18thstreetsingers.com. We look forward to collaborating with our fellow D.C. singers soon!

We apologize for any inconvenience and join you in a feeling of great disappointment at not being able to perform this season. Music and the arts are powerful vehicles of human emotion, empathy, and shared experience; it is times like these in which we realize just how important they are to the fabric of society. Even though we cannot gather in-person, the 18th Street Singers will still try to share our music to maintain that connection. Stay tuned over the next months for some of those projects.

Thank you for your support during this challenging time and throughout these last 15 years. We are grateful for this incredible musical community and look forward to singing for you again next season.

Take care,

The 18th Street Singers   

POSTPONING "A MORE PERFECT UNISON"

March 31, 2020

Dear More Perfect Unison Patrons,

During times like these, we’re grateful for you. Your support is a source of comfort and connection as we all face uncertainty right now. We hope you all are staying healthy and safe, and keeping connected virtually to the people you care about.

Of course, it’s clear – from guidance that you have no doubt seen from both the DC Government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – that our April 19 concert cannot be held as scheduled. We’re deeply disappointed that this opportunity to gather in community and share music with you all has been put on hold, though we affirm that everyone’s health and safety is most important right now, and always.

We are working on finding a rescheduled date for this performance. In the meantime, for reasons of practicality and fairness to you, we will be refunding all ticket purchases at this time. We ask your grace and patience, while each of our three ensembles must attend to unique changes in our plans, as we continue to explore our next steps on this collaboration.

We’re wishing you good health and good cheer – and we’d love to hear from you, if only to say hello.

Yours in health,

 A More Perfect Unison Team

ANNOUNCING “A MORE PERFECT UNISON”

Update March 31st

In light of CDC recommendations around the coronavirus pandemic, unfortunately our April 19 concert will not continue as planned. We were looking forward to sharing a wonderful program of music with you, and hope to reschedule this concert at a later date. We will be in touch once the stay-at-home mandates are lifted with additional updates. Stay safe, stay well, and keep enjoying music wherever you can. 

- A More Perfect Union Organizing Team 

February 19, 2020

Three of Washington’s premier vocal ensembles--The 18th Street Singers, The Capital Hearings, and The Choral Arts Society of Washington--are banding together to present a joint concert honoring our shared histories and DC’s rich, evolving culture of choral music. Each group brings unique musical styles and perspectives to a joyous concert celebrating milestones for each ensemble.

Join us on Sunday, April 19th for "A More Perfect Unison." Held in the beautifully acoustic space of National City Christian Church, the concert promises to be a celebration of our groups, of DC, and of the music we can create together!

Tickets
General admission tickets will be available online or at the door for $20. Free student tickets are also available to those with a valid student ID.