2021: A Year in Review…
with a Hopeful Look to 2022!
We found creative ways to rehearse…
In our cars…
in parking structures…
even outside in the snow!
1,730 Patrons Across 22 States attended our in-person and virtual concerts.
We Celebrated Ethan Sperry’s 10th Anniversary as Artistic Director!
⬇︎ Hear what ORS singers, local artists and leaders (and a few others) had to say about Ethan’s milestone. ⬇︎
649 individual donors across 30 states, who believe in our mission, made it possible for us to find new ways to share our music.
Our youth singers zoomed...
And zoomed s’more…
Through two 6-week virtual sessions.
85 GEMS
(Give Every Month Supporters) stabilized our finances; helping to eliminate uncertainty and preserve the legacy of our organization.
125 adult and youth singers stretched their technological skills and recorded their voices individually…
These recordings
combined to create our online music videos.
You can watch and re-watch our videos on YouTube!
YouTube Statistics
20+ Videos
45 new subscribers
6,927 views
493.5 watch hours
Viewers outside the US from Brazil, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the Philippines, and the UK.
Our two top videos are by Naomi LaViolette (ORS Accompanist & Singer/Songwriter)
Everything is Brighter has been viewed over 600 times and…
⬇︎ Night of Silence has almost 2,700 views! ⬇︎
But wait… there’s more!
Our first virtual gala,
Over the Rainbow, became the most successful fundraising event in our history, raising over $135,000!
Special thanks to our 2021 Music Literature Supporters who gave a one-time gift of $2,500 or more at the 2021 Gala.
Margo Bachhuber • Paige Baker & Helle Merilo • Chris Bailey & Robert Lusk • Melissa & Matthew Canaday • Brigid Flanigan • David Frackelton • Bruce Gulliver & Deb Habel • Jeri & Sandy Haskins • Barbara & Duane McDougall • Jeff Ring • Mark Solon & Don Tankersley • Dean & Patricia Werth • Howard Werth & Marion Levitan • Shankar Viswanathan
We hosted a two-part “concert and conversation” series, The Sperry Sessions, with former ORS Artistic Director Gil Seeley.
⬆︎ Watch it again! ⬆︎
Over 600 views on YouTube and counting!
We produced our first virtual concert, showcasing
music from the Renaissance.
We welcomed Aubrey Patterson as the new Artistic Director of the ORS Youth Choir.
The new youth program began with an 8-week virtual session.
(with a few in-person opportunities for 7th–12th grade singers who were vaccinated)
Each choir worked with Composer-in-Residence, Stacey Philipps, to create the songs they would later perform and record.
“It’s a total joy to write something just for them. I wrote the lyrics for each piece based on the conversations I had with each group, and they got to try them out and give me feedback (so funny! too hard! too low! so pretty! and the like). I know we’ll have a chance to keep making music together for some time.”
⬇︎ Watch our Kindergarten–2nd Graders perform “What I Like About Fall!” ⬇︎
And after more than 18 months, we starting rehearsing in-person again!
(We were excited about it!)
Vaccinations and masks were required of all participants.
We joined the Oregon Symphony for their triumphal return to the concert hall with Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony.
We made a grand return to First United Methodist Church for our fall concert, The Promise of Living…
And our 48th annual Glory of Christmas concert, which included two sold-out performances!
Our digital concert series brought music into the homes of our community, and beyond.
Here’s what people love about ORS…
“The joy of hearing and seeing and feeling the music of the ORS choir brings warmth to the soul.”
“As always, ORS provides stellar choral experiences and I am enriched with every concert I attend. Thank you for surmounting all the obstacles you overcame to return to live performances, Your audience thank you and loves you.”
"I was so impressed with the repertoire, musicality, and covid safety methods. I can't remember the last time I attended a vocal performance that was impeccable!"
“Under both Gil and Ethan, ORS has a unique ability to find music from all eras and parts of the world and make unified, transcendent concerts out of them. The Glory of Christmas concert in particular is one of the events which defines the season for me.”
“True to its mission, ORS continues to expand its repertoire, reaching forward.”
— Daryl Brown, Oregon Arts Watch
"Excellent, inspiring, transcendent, and cathartic."
"Best Christmas music experience in over a decade. Loved the familiar pieces tweaked sublimely. I was verklempt and happy."
“The video-on-demand concert provided a nice background during our open hours as p:ear youth worked on art, ate food, and generally gathered in the space during operations. This helped generate a calming vibe throughout the space, which helped with trauma regulations and a distraction for some who needed their attention or focus elsewhere, outside of themselves.”
The ORS video-on-demand concerts serve our community in more ways than one. We’ve found it to be a wonderful opportunity to share our love of choral music with many in the area who might not otherwise hear us perform. P:ear is part of that community and we’re so glad that they were able to share our music with their youth.
The Nuts and Bolts
The vast majority of our 2021 revenue came from from individuals like you (59%) and foundation or government grants (25%).
In 2021, ticket sales only accounted for 11% of our revenue.
Over 60% of our budget directly supports the adult and youth choir programs. Approximately 20% is applied towards activities and projects that directly raise funds to support our programs (i.e., special events, contractors, etc).
REVENUE
EXPENSES