CANTABILE YOUTH SINGERS OF SILICON VALLEY
PO BOX 308, LOS ALTOS, CA 94023 cantabile.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: CANTABILE YOUTH SINGERS CONTRIBUTES TO THE COMMUNITY BY TEACHING A WORLD-CLASS YOUTH CHORAL MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT NURTURES EACH SINGER'S BODY, MIND AND HEART AS THEY COLLABORATE TO LEARN PERFORMANCE SKILLS, DEVELOP SELF-ESTEEM AND CONFIDENCE. WE FOSTER LEARNING THAT DEVELOPS AUDIENCES AND PERFORMERS FOR THE FUTURE.

CANTABILE YOUTH SINGERS PROVIDES EXCELLENT CHORAL MUSIC INSTRUCTION TO THE YOUTH OF SILICON VALLEY BY CREATING A SUPPORTIVE MUSICAL COMMUNITY, FOSTERING THE INNATE EXPRESSIVE TALENT WITHIN EACH SINGER, AND PRESENTING PERFORMANCES OF THE HIGHEST CALIBER.

CHORAL INSTRUCTION:VISION OF TEACHING CHILDREN IN A CO-ED ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THEIR ENTIRESCHOOL CAREERS CAME FROM OUR FOUNDER SIGNE BOYER'S OBSERVATION THATCHILDREN'S MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS WERE BEING CUTDRASTICALLY. HER PASSION FOR TEACHING MUSIC AND EMPHASIS ON THEIMPORTANCE OF CHORAL SINGING AS AN ACT OF LEARNING TO PARTICIPATE INSOMETHING GREATER THAN ONESELF TO CREATE BEAUTY AND SHARE IT WITH THEWORLD LED HER TO FOUND THE CHOIR. TODAY THERE ARE FEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN TO BE TAUGHT MUSIC IN THE CLASSROOM, PARTICULARLY AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL.CANTABILE FILLS THIS NICHE AND PROVIDES MANY PARTICIPATIONOPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THEIR K-12 SCHOOL EXPERIENCE. THE PROGRAM HAS GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY OVER THE PAST 16 YEARS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ELENA SHARKOVA, WHOSE PASSION FOR THE ARTFORM AND INTERNATIONAL RENOWN HAS ALLOWED CANTABILE TO PERFORM ON STAGES ACROSS THE WORLD AND STAGE AWARD-WINNING PERFORMANCES AT MULTIPLE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND FESTIVALS.CANTABILE'S HANDS-ON APPROACH TO TEACHING CHILDREN SINGING, MUSICIANSHIP, ANDLEADERSHIP HELPS THEM DEVELOP NOT ONLY THEIR VOICES BUT ALSO THEIRAPPRECIATION OF PERFORMANCE, VISUAL ART, LANGUAGES AND CULTURE, AND ALLOWS THEM TO BE BETTER WORLD CITIZENS. THISINSPIRES A LIFETIME OF PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS THAT BENEFITS NOT ONLYTHE CHILD BUT ALSO SOCIETY BECAUSE THESE CHILDREN BECOME ADULTS THATEAGERLY ENGAGE IN LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES AND TEAMWORK, SUPPORT THE ARTS,AND FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY ACROSS DISCIPLINES.IN APRIL 2020 CANTABILE WAS AWARDED THE COVETED "AWARD FOR ADVENTUROUS PROGRAMMING" FROM ASCAP & CHORUS AMERICA. THESE TWO PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS PARTNER TO PROMOTE CREATION OF NEW FORWARD-THINKING MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS BY LIVING COMPOSERS, AND PERFORMANCES OF THESE WORKS BY HIGHLY REGARDED CHORUSES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. THE AWARD IS GIVEN TO ONLY ONE YOUTH CHOIR PER YEAR. IN 2020 CANTABILE FOUNDED ITS STUDENT CHAPTER OF ACDA (AMERICAN CHORAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION). IT WAS THE FIRST YOUTH CHORUS CHAPTER IN THE COUNTRY. CHAPTER MEMBERS MEET TWICE MONTHLY TO PROMOTE MUSICAL ACTIVISM, COORDINATE OUTREACH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND ASSIST THE STAFF IN CREATING PEER-TO-PEER MARKETING MATERIALS. CHAPTER MEMBERS ARE FREQUENTLY ABLE TO ENGAGE IN REGIONAL CHAPTER ACTIVITIES WHICH PROVIDE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES WITH COLLEGIATE AND CHAPTERS.

CONCERT/OUTREACH MISSION:THE 2020 CALENDAR YEAR PRESENTED UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES FOR ALL PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. CANTABILE MET THESE CHALLENGES BY SWIFTLY AND INNOVATIVELY TRANSITIONING OUR ENTIRE PROGRAM ONLINE. IN SPRING 2020 CANTABILE MOVED ALL REHEARSALS TO ZOOM AND PRESENTED ONLINE COMMUNITY SINGALONGS TO ENGAGE OUR ENROLLED STUDENTS AND SHARE MUSIC WITH THEIR FAMILIES AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS DESPERATELY NEEDED. BY SUMMER 2020 CANTABILE PARTNERED WITH THE JACKTRIP FOUNDATION TO ALPHA-TEST THEIR GROUNDBREAKING NEW "VIRTUAL STUDIO" TECHNOLOGY, WHICH ALLOWS REAL-TIME ONLINE REHEARSALS WITH NEARLY ZERO LATENCY. CANTABILE WAS THE SECOND CHOIR IN THE WORLD TO ADOPT THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR FULL-TIME DELIVERY OF THEIR PROGRAMS AND HAS SINCE THEN PARTNERED WITH ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES TO ASSIST THEM IN ONBOARDING THIS AND OTHER ONLINE REHEARSAL PLATFORMS.CANTABILE'S LIVE PERFORMANCES REACHED OVER 5,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS LAST YEAR AND COUNTLESS VIEWERS THROUGH OUR VIRTUAL PERFORMANCES (BOTH LIVE CONCERTS ONLINE AND VIRTUAL CHOIR PRODUCTIONS).

SCHOLARSHIPS: NAMED FOR OUR FOUNDER, SIGNE BOYER, WHO STARTED CANTABILE TO HELP PROMOTE CHILDREN'S MUSIC EDUCATION AND CHORAL SINGING IN OUR AREA, THIS FUND GUARANTEES THAT NO CHILD IS TURNED AWAY FROM CANTABILE BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL NEED. WE PROVIDED TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS, TUITION REDUCTION, AND/OR TOUR SCHOLARSHIP ASSISTANCE FOR APPROXIMATELY 15% OF SINGERS. WE HAVE A ROBUST VOLUNTEER PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS PARENTS TO SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATION WITH THEIR TIME AS WELL.

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