Idaho/Washington Concert
Chorale Policy Statement
Revised May 2002

Also available as a Word document.

I.  Statement of Purpose and Goals of Chorale

The Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale was incorporated in 2000 as a non-profit organization with tax-exempt status.  The Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale consists of the Concert Chorale and its Board of Directors.

The purpose of the Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale is to perform choral works, both large and small, in the Palouse/Clearwater area for the enjoyment and entertainment; to promote appreciation and knowledge of choral music; and to perform such other legal acts as necessary to procure, prepare, and promote music, concerts, the group, and its activities.

II.  Auditions

Prospective chorale members must audition, usually in the fall, for regular membership.  At the audition, prospective chorale members will be provided with a copy of these chorale policies.

Any chorale member who participated in the immediate previous season, and who has indicated a desire to return for the following season, is given automatic status as a member of the chorale.  A lapse in participation (as defined in Section IV.B.) is allowed for one full concert season, or more, with continued communication between the chorale member and the chorale conductor (written copy should also be sent to the Chorale Secretary).  If a lapse in communication of the chorale member's intentions occurs, the chorale member must audition again for membership. 

The chorale conductor may request to hear voices of current members at any time.

III.  General Policy

By their acceptance of membership in the chorale, chorale members agree to conform to the policies stated herein.

A.  Concert Attire/Dress Code

Men:  Black tuxedo with white, tab-collared shirt, black bow tie, black cummerbund or black vest, black socks, black shoes.

Women:  Black floor length dress (floor length means hem must brush top of shoe so that only tip of toe shows) made from pattern and material provided by the Chorale, off-black hose, black, closed-toed shoes, no jewelry other than stud-type, smaller than the ear-lobe earrings.

Both Men and Women:  Unscented hair spray used well in advance; deodorant required; no perfume or cologne, no gum.

B.  Music

Chorale members are wholly responsible for all Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale music issued to them over the course of the season.  This responsibility includes returning music in the same condition as when issued.  Marks should be made in pencil only.  There should be no highlighting on the copies issued to chorale members.  Music should be returned as 'clean' as possible-leave musical markings and erase editorial comments.  Failure to return music at the end of the season will result in a forfeiture of singing privileges until appropriate compensation for said music is received.  Individual black concert folders can be purchased (from ChoralWeb Publishing) or individually provided by each chorale member.

C.  Membership Fees

Annual membership fees for chorale members will be set prior to the start of each concert season by the Executive Committee.  Membership fees will be used to cover, in large part, the cost of music and may also contribute to concert preparation (flyers, programs, tickets, etc.).

Scholarships may be available (subject to Board approval and availability of funds) for members who find the cost of the chorale membership fee a financial hardship.

D.  Complimentary Tickets

Each chorale member will be issued two complimentary tickets per year.  Neither of these tickets may be used for the Uniontown venue.  .

IV.  Attendance

A.  Absences from Rehearsals, Dress Rehearsals, and Concerts

1. Chorale members are expected to attend ALL rehearsals for a given concert as listed on the rehearsal schedule provided.  Extra rehearsals may be scheduled at the discretion of the chorale conductor and every member's best faith effort to attend is expected.  Dress rehearsal is the final rehearsal before the concert and does not require concert dress.
2. In the case of unexpected circumstances that will cause the chorale member to miss a concert, the section leader, chorale officer, or chorale conductor (in that order) should be notified as soon as possible.
3. The chorale conductor may prohibit participation in a concert for any absence from the dress rehearsal and/or excessive absence from regular rehearsals.
4. Depending on the number of rehearsals for any given concert, a 30 percent absence rate may result in an attendance review by the conductor who may deem it necessary to ask the member to resign from the chorale.
5. Chorale members intending to miss any given concert must notify the chorale director at least one week before the first rehearsal for that concert.

B.  Leave of Absence

A regular member of the chorale may take a leave of absence for a specified period of time (up to one full concert season) without effect upon his/her position in the chorale.  Notification of Intention to take leave should be made through a letter to be received by the chorale conductor at least four weeks before the first rehearsal of the season.  The chorale member's position can then be filled only on a temporary basis.  Extension of the one-year leave or other special cases may be granted at the discretion of the chorale conductor.

V.  Chorale Officers and Section Leaders/Representatives, Duties and Responsibilities

A.  Chorale Officers

The officers of the Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and a Treasurer.  Together with the chorale conductor, the officers shall serve as the Executive Committee.  Chorale officers shall be elected in the fall of each concert season and shall serve for one year from the date of election.  Officers may be elected to serve more than one term.

1.  President

The President serves as a link between the chorale membership and the Concert Chorale Board of Directors.  He/she will serve as a member of the Chorale Executive Committee and as the Chorale representative to the Board of Directors.  He or she will be responsible for the following:

1. Attending Board of Directors meetings.
2. Communicating any concerns raised by the chorale membership to the Board of Directors.
3. Communicating announcements, reminders, policy, etc., to the chorale membership.
4. Facilitating Chorale Executive Committee meetings and chorale membership business meetings.
5. Communicating with the media.
6. Arranging for auditing the Chorale's records.
7. Together with the Treasurer and the Marketing Director, preparing the annual budget for the Concert Chorale and making semi-annual financial reports to the membership.
8. Appointing other nonelective positions within the Chorale after consultation with other members of the Executive Committee.

2.  Vice President

The Vice President shall serve as a member of the Chorale Executive Committee and, in the absence of the President, as the chorale representative to the Board of Directors.  He or she shall Chair the Media Preparation Team and will be responsible for the following:

1. Scheduling performance venues (in consultation with chorale conductor on date, time, etc. and upon approval from Board of Directors).
2. Scheduling rehearsal space (in consultation with chorale conductor).
3. Attending Board of Directors meetings when possible to acquaint himself/herself with the structure and workings of the Board.
4. Acting on behalf of the Chorale when the President is unavailable.
5. Coordinating the orientation for new members.
6. Other duties as assigned/requested.

3.  Secretary

The Secretary shall serve as a member of the Chorale Executive Committee and Chair of the Chorale Steering Committee.  He or she will be responsible for the following:

1. Maintaining the attendance records for all rehearsals, retreats, and concerts.
2. Notifying the chorale director of attendance infractions
3. Maintaining the database of all Chorale members.
4. Maintaining the database for patrons and season ticket holders.
5. Generating reports from these databases as needed by other choral officials and members
6. Preparing the minutes of meetings of the board and the Executive Committee.
7. Preparing and mailing routine correspondence on behalf of the Concert Chorale.
8. Other duties as assigned/requested.

4.  Treasurer

The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Chorale Executive Committee and shall Chair the Ticket Sales Team.  He or she will be responsible for the following:

1. Maintaining accurate accounting of donations made to the Concert Chorale, issuing appropriate receipts, and providing a list of donors for the program.
2. Making deposits and paying bills in a timely fashion.
3. Receiving and receipting payments of chorale membership fees.
4. Together with the President and the Marketing Director, preparing the annual budget for the Concert Chorale.
5. Make semi-annual financial reports to the membership.
6. Serves on the budget committee.
7. Other duties as assigned/requested.

B.  Section Leaders/Representatives

The Chorale Director shall appoint Section Leaders in the fall of each concert season who shall serve as members of the Chorale Steering Committee.  Section Leaders shall serve as the conduit by which chorale members report absences from rehearsals and performances to the Chorale Secretary.  When requested by the chorale conductor, Section Leaders may be responsible for arranging informal area rehearsals (space, etc.) at a time other than regular rehearsal day.

C.  Other Appointed Positions

The President may choose to appoint Chorale members and others to the following positions.  Under some circumstances, one person may be responsible for more than one position.

The Marketing Director will have the responsibility of planning and, after consultation with the Executive Committee, carrying out advertising campaigns for the major concerts, contacting the arts editors of the newspapers in the hopes of gaining favorable coverage of the Chorale, seeking out and arranging for speakers at local civic events about the Chorale, and serving on the Budget Committee.  Preparing and distributing public service announcements and advertisements (with approval of officers).  The Marketing Director will coordinate the efforts of the Program Advertising Director.

The Concert Program Editor is responsible for laying out the program, gathering the notes from a knowledgeable source (usually the director), and arranging for the printing of the program and delivery of the program to the concert.

The Stage Manager is responsible for working with the director to devise the plan for entrance and exists of all concert participants, for directing the movements of the all participants during the dress rehearsals and performances.

The Box Office Manager takes care of all ticket sales and is responsible for maintaining database of season ticket purchasers, disseminating information about season tickets, selling season and individual tickets, and delivering tickets to merchant outlets.  This person will work with the Marketing Director to work out design and logistics of ticket format.

The House Manager is responsible for arranging for ticket sellers and ticket takers at the door of each concert, the signs to be displayed in the lobby area, and coordinating ticket sales at the door with the Box Office Manager.

The Flower Coordinator is responsible for getting flowers donated, picked up and distributed at concerts.

The Program Advertising Director is responsible for selling ads in the program.  This person works under the direction of the Concert Program Editor.

The Grant Writing Specialist is responsible for researching and writing grants.

The Chorale Webmaster responsible for maintaining the Chorale's Web site and the liststerv.

The Music Librarian will have responsibility of preparing new music for distribution, maintaining accurate records of new music assigned, keeping accurate account of music returned as well as making good faith effort to get music that has not been returned.

VI.  Chorale Committees

These are considered leadership positions/functions of the chorale and, as such, are expected to serve as an example for the chorale membership as it relates to chorale policies, public relations, and good will for the organization.

A.  Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of the chorale officers and the chorale conductor.  The Executive Committee is responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale including, but not limited to:

1. Rehearsal, performance and venue scheduling.
2. Budget and planning for the concert season, including season ticket sales.
3. Planning and preparing for concerts, including program design approval, etc.
4. Making recommendations on fund raising, additional concerts/venues, grant opportunities, etc.
5. Appointing committees members.
6. Paying the bills.
7. Providing assistance as needed to the chorale conductor.

B.  Steering Committee

The Chorale Steering Committee consists of the Executive Committee, the Section Leaders, and people occupying other appointed positions.  This committee meets when a greater representation from the Chorale membership is needed.

C.  Chorale Development Committee

The Chorale Development Committee will consist of the Program Advertising Director, the Grant Writing Specialist, and interested chorale members.  This committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the Chorale Steering Committee on fund raising and grant opportunities, concert sponsorships, and procuring program advertising.  The Vice President will chair this committee.

D.  Media Preparation Committee

The Media Preparation Committee will consist of the Marketing Director and all interested chorale members.  This committee will be responsible for the preparation and distribution of all advertising copy, public service announcements, and press releases. 

E.  Music/Repertoire Committee

The Music/Repertoire Committee will consist of the chorale conductor and interested members of the chorale.  This committee will be responsible for assisting the conductor in selecting program material for the upcoming concert season, preparing music estimates and justifications for presentation to the Executive Committee, and generally sharing ideas for concert 'themes' and music with the Steering Committee in preparation for season ticket sales.  Recommendations for the next season should be presented to the Board before the May concert in time to advertise our next season.

F.  Social Enhancement Committee

The Social Enhancement Committee will consist of interested chorale members who will be responsible for planning and scheduling social activities for participation by chorale members.

G.  Stage Preparation Committee

The Stage Preparation Committee, also known as the 'Riser Crew,' is responsible for setting up for all concerts and dress rehearsals.  Specifically, this includes moving, hauling, and setting up risers, bringing a podium and music stands, preparing area for chamber orchestra, restaging piano, etc., and returning everything to its rightful owners/place of origin following concerts.  Some member of the committee may be charged with decorating the stage in accordance with the season or the theme of the concert. This committee will work with the Director and the Stage Manager.

H.  Ticket Sales Committee

The Ticket Sales Committee consists of the Box Office Manager (as Chair) and interested chorale members who will be responsible for disseminating information on season ticket sales, selling season tickets, delivering ticket order forms to specific venues, arranging for ticket takers/sellers 'at the door' for concerts, etc.  ALL chorale members will be encouraged to sell season tickets.

I.  Library Committee

This Committee assists the Music Librarian in his or her duties of preparing new music for distribution, cataloging it, filing returned music in the library.

I.  Nominating Committee

Once a year, this committee works to determine the slate of officers to elect each year.  They talk to each of the officers individually to determine whether they are willing to serve another year.  They act as a conduit for other members to express their interest in being an officer, and they present the Chorale membership with a slate of officers to elect at the annual meeting.  The chair of this committee presides over the meeting during the election of officers.

J.  Budget Committee

Chaired by the Treasurer, this committee works out the annual budget to present for approval to the Board.  The other members of the committee consist of the Marketing Director and the President.  The committee will also prepare semi-annual reports for the rest of the board and the Chorale membership about the how well the Chorale is meeting its budget.

VII.  Enforcement of These Policies

In the event a chorale member(s) does not comply with these policies of the Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale, the Executive Committee and Section Leaders will meet to determine the appropriate actions necessary to correct the infraction.

VIII.  Changes in Chorale Policy

Any member of the Chorale may propose changes to these policies in writing to the Chorale Steering Committee.  The Chorale Steering Committee will review and make recommendations regarding proposed changes to the Executive Committee.  Following approval and discussion by the Executive Committee, the President will present the proposed changes before the chorale membership where they must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote.

Chorale Policy Adopted by the Idaho/Washington Concert Chorale:  September 9, 2000

Revised May 6, 2002