Dear Vivace Community,
Welcome to the Spring semester for 2021! I am honored and incredibly excited to be stepping into the role of artistic director for Vivace Youth Chorus of San José. Peggy Spool has created an organization with Joshua Lanam, the staff, and board of directors, that is a San José treasure. My number one goal as I begin my journey as artistic director is to continue the success of Vivace so we may spark the light of song for many years to come.
As I have shared before, my first experience with Vivace was as a parent. My son, Russell, began with Rising Notes in 2017 and is now in the Intermediate choir. My husband, Ryan, and I have always said that no matter the status of Russell’s school music program, we know he will have a solid music education with Vivace. As artistic director, I believe it is my responsibility to provide the same level of excellence students and their families have come to expect from Vivace. Additionally, I am committed to growing our organization to further enable access to our programs for all families, regardless of their financial means.
To facilitate this growth, I would love your help. Our recruitment theme for the spring semester is, See How We Shine! In the coming weeks, we will be sending out a handful of emails and posting on social media about the amazing musical experience Vivace provides to children in Silicon Valley. I hope you will consider sharing these messages with your friends and neighbors who might not be familiar with Vivace, but might have an interest in joining us. I also encourage you to reflect on how Vivace has been a light in your family’s life for this past year, and then if you so choose, use those reflections when you share our communications. If you are interested in taking a further active role in recruitment, I would love to hear from you.
We have some unique opportunities during the pandemic. I have been working remotely with choirs and rehearsing via zoom since March, and I fully understand that choir doesn’t look or feel like it does when we are in person. There is nothing I want more than to have a group of singers together in one location and to hear them sing that first perfect chord. However, I think we can embrace the distance, so to speak, and use it as an opportunity to try some new things. We plan to continue utilizing some of the expanded technologies that were tested with the Teen Ensembles in the fall. We will hone in the process for all our choirs to make recording easier, for students and parents alike. Most importantly, we want to continue to make the weekly rehearsals fun and engaging for our students.
In regards to concerts and in-person singing, we intend to resume our activities as soon as we are able to safely do so. I am fully committed to the safety of our community and our friends and relatives. It is my hope that we will be able to hold an outdoor community event, in accordance with county guidelines, towards the end of the spring semester so everyone can gather and share music together. It won’t look or feel like a normal performance, but the joy will be in the gathering. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.
My door, albeit virtual for now, is always open to you. Please reach out at any time if there is anything you need or even if you just want to have a conversation so we can get to know each other better.
I wish you all the best for 2021, and I look forward to making music together!
In Harmony,
Kristina Nakagawa | Artistic Director