Just Hours Left in #TogetherInSong!

There’s still time to have your gift matched dollar-for-dollar!

We’re in the final stretch of our #TogetherInSong campaign, and we could really use your support to surpass our $20,000 campaign goal.

Together, we have raised $15,000!

There’s still time to double your gift. Thanks to the generous support of Peggy & Alan Spool, your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Individual donations, gifts of stock, and corporate matches can ALL be matched (see below for more information).

Many thanks to all our friends and families who have participated in this campaign!

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And for your viewing pleasure!

Composed for Vivace’s Chamber and Concert Choirs, Brian Holmes fantastical “The Song of Mr. Toad” is based on the character, Mr. Toad, from Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in the Willows. Holmes weaves together various musical and literary themes throughout the work, including musical quotations and humor. (Listen for the British National Anthem, “God Save the Queen.”)

Read more about the composer in this interview published on Chorus America’s website.

Enjoy!

Double Your Gift!

#TogetherInSong Update: $10,000 Matching Gift!

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of Peggy and Alan Spool, the impact of your gift will be greater than ever through a dollar-for-dollar matching grant!

Their generosity extends to all donations given during #TogetherInSong (May 5-16). Please consider showing your support with a tax-deductible donation (see below for more info).

As soon as COVID-19 hit our community, Vivace’s staff started developing ways to connect in this new reality. We’ve been rolling out many new experiences for our singers—online rehearsals being one. We’ve also created Radio Hour and QuaranTeen Cabaret—both unique digital recitals where we’re creating space for singers to share and connect.

During #TogetherInSong, we're asking you to help us reach our goal with a gift of any amount. Every gift given through May 16 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Spools.

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A Cappella Ensemble sings “Afrika”

by David Paich & Jeff Porcaro, arranged by Alex Morris

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High Level Information about Tax Deductions for 2020 from Fidelity Charitable

Are you itemizing deductions?

The adjusted gross income (AGI) limit for cash contributions was increased for individual donors. For cash contributions made in 2020, you can now elect to deduct up to 100 percent of your AGI (increased from 60 percent).

Interested in corporate giving?

The AGI limit for cash contributions was also increased for corporate donors. Corporations can now deduct up to 25 percent of taxable income (increased from 10 percent).

Not itemizing?

The CARES Act allows for an additional, “above-the-line” deduction for charitable gifts made in cash of up to $300 ($600 for a married couple). If you are not itemizing on your 2020 taxes, you can claim this new deduction.

Wondering about your Giving Accounts?

Both of these new incentives apply only to cash contributions to public charities and do not apply to contributions to supporting organizations or public charities that sponsor donor-advised funds. However, there have been no changes to existing deductions for contributions made into a donor-advised fund.

It's Like Riding a Bike!

Intermediate Choir sings “On Your Bike”

by Bob Chilcott (2016 recording)

Intermediate Choir is singing this energetic piece again this year.

Director Jay Jordana, who happens to be an avid cyclist, said, “Each part of the canon is happening a beat apart from the other, which almost simulates the two bike pedals going up and down. The accompaniment also sounds like the rhythm of the wheels turning.”

Listen closely. Can you hear it?

COVID-19 hasn’t stopped us from teaching and making music. Programs like Intermediate Choir directed by Jay Jordana are meeting every week online and sharing their music in Vivace’s Radio Hour. Please consider supporting our programs by donating today.

Appeal from Artistic Director Peggy Spool

Past #TogetherInSong Blog Posts & Videos

Must Watch Video!

#TogetherInSong Weekend Round-Up

Week 1 was full of great videos from our archives. One each day in fact! If you missed a day, check out our Together In Song page for a summary of all our posts.

Looking ahead to this week, you’ll be treated many more recordings of past performances, plus video messages from artistic director and founder Peggy Spool and Vivace alumni, all in support of our goal to raise $40,000 to support high-quality choral music education. As of today, we’ve raised $2,825, and we need your help.

Please lend your support by making a gift, a pledge, and/or asking your social networks to give. Every dollar matters!

Teacher Appreciation Week, QuaranTeen Cabaret, plus a new video!

TGIF, friends!

Did you know that this week was teacher appreciation week? We at Vivace are so grateful for all of our amazing teachers! They prepare rehearsal and lesson materials week after week, plan for upcoming seasons during summer and holiday breaks, and take time to help their students whenever needed. They are an extraordinary team of unique individuals who add to the vibrancy that is Vivace.

And so to this year’s teachers—Albee, Barbara, Grace, Jay, Kate, and Peggy—we thank you! You. Are. Amazing!

QUARANTEEN CABARET

On May 5, our Teen Ensembles held their first QuaranTeen Cabaret. You might be wondering, “What’s that?” It’s an informal social hour meets performance opportunity where singers can present music, dance, a soliloquy, or just about any other skill. After the performances, our teens get to spend the remainder of the time socializing, which normally is a part of our weekly in-person rehearsals.

COVID-19 has changed not only our rehearsals but also how we all socialize. This new program is one way that we’re creating connections during shelter-in-place.

Like many nonprofits and schools, COVID-19 has hit Vivace hard. We’ve transitioned most of our programs online, but there are some that we’ve had to cancel—3 concerts and summer camp, for example.

Please consider helping us by making a donation during our #TogetherInSong campaign. Your gift will not only ensure that we can offer programs like QuaranTeen Cabaret, but also that we can expand our scholarship programs this summer and next fall.

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Vivace Youth Chorus of San Jose's Preparatory Choir sings “Tecolote,” a Mexican Lullaby arranged by Victoria Ebel-Sabo. Masumi Maei, conductor; Laura Green, accompanist. Recorded at Westminster Presbyterian Church, San José, California, on January 13, 2019.

Happy Anniversary, Teen Men’s Ensemble!

It’s #ThrowbackThursday at Vivace, but instead of posting a video from many years ago, we’re offering you a video from our Teen Ensembles' Winter Concert this past January. Why this video? Because this year is the 10th anniversary of our Teen Men’s Ensemble! In choir years that wasn’t that long ago, and we’ve come a long way since then. Many of these singers came up through the chorus program, working with Peggy Spool and Jay Jordana before moving to Teen Men’s Ensemble with conductor Albert Mabeza. This recording exemplifies Vivace’s programs, not to mention that it’s fun to hear and watch.

If you like what you hear and you haven’t already, please make a donation.

Enjoy!

Together In Song & Giving Tuesday Now Updates

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Thank you for helping get our #TogetherInSong celebration off to a great start! Together, we’ve raised $2,600 on #GivingTuesdayNow! If you missed Giving Tuesday, that’s okay. You can still help us reach our $40,000 goal before May 16.

#TogetherInSong is a fundraising campaign, but more importantly it’s an engagement campaign. Shelter-in-place is challenging, and we believe that choral music can bring us together despite our social isolation.

Visit our website each day for videos from our archives and stories from our community. Follow us @vivaceyouthchorus on Facebook and Instagram for notifications every time we post a new video. We will also send a few summary emails between now and May 16.

The Vivace Youth Chorus Chamber & Concert Choirs sing "Bedu Pako Baramasa," a folk song from the Kumaon region of northern India, arranged by Meghan Quinlan. Peggy Spool, conductor; Abhishek Kulkarni, tabla; parent Cliff Winnig, sitar; Shrivalli Addepally, Margaret Gardella, and Medha Sarkar, soloists. Performed at Westminster Presbyterian Church, San José, California, on January 13, 2019.

#TogetherInSong Day 1 Video

Thanks for checking in on the first day of our #TogetherInSong campaign! Here’s a recording of our Intermediate Choir singing “Ziggy” by Bay Area composer Ruth Huber at our 15th Anniversary Concert in 2018. Composed for Vivace as part of our Poetry and Song Project, this song draws its lyrics from a poem by chorister Brigitta Schlosser. Conducted by Jay Jordana. Accompanied by Laura Green.