A City College a cappella group will receive a $20,000 donation if it raises the equivalent amount by the end of the year.
The Quire of Voyces received a matching grant from an anonymous donor. The group has raised a little over $5,000 and needs to raise about $15,000 more by Dec. 31, in order to obtain the grant money. The funds will go toward the a cappella group’s trip to Europe next summer for an international choral festival.
“For us, just to get the invitation to this festival is a huge deal,” said Artistic Director Nathan Kreitzer. “It’s basically the largest festival competition in the world.”
Kreitzer is also the director of choral activities for the music department at City College, and founded the Quire of Voyces in 1993.
The choir is made up of 25 City College students, although Kreitzer said that most of them are not what one would consider college age. The size of the choir fluctuates slightly from year to year, but overall there is very little turnover. Most students stay for about a decade.
“It’s a professional level chorus,” Kreitzer said. “There’s nothing that’s really like it in Santa Barbara, so I think the people that can get in really enjoy it.”
The Quire of Voyces is 100 percent volunteer based and the students are asked to pay a $1,500 deposit for the Europe trip.
In addition to Kreitzer, the Quire of Voyces Board consists of Patty Volner, Audry Nafziger, Paige Van Tuyl, Howard Hudson, Susan Kuehn, Robert Weber and Janice Krockel. It is up to them and Board President Ann Dwelley to raise the rest of the money for the festival, which is the 70 annual Eisteddfod.
“All of the singers actually have a ‘Go Fund Me’ page that people can go visit and donate,” said Kelli Doering, a new member to the Quire of Voyces. “We’re all individually reaching out to friends and family and people who support us in the community, to help us raise that amount of money for our tour.”
In attempt to increase the funds, the board sent out a donation letter to everyone on the choir’s mailing list. Kreitzer is also taking the time to meet with current and previous donors.
“All of us have our real jobs and our grown up lives, and it’s, especially for me, nice to be able to tap into my musical self,” Doering said. “It’s therapeutic. It’s spiritually cleansing. It’s very healthy. It’s a beautiful thing for us to share together and share with the community.”
The Quire of Voices will tour around England and Wales from June 29 to July 11, 2016, with performances in London, Bath, Bristol, Llangollen and Chester. The Eisteddfod will take place from July 5 to July 9 in Llangollen, Wales.
The Quire of Voyces appreciates any contribution, and donations can be given to Kreitzer whose office is located in the Drama-Music Building Room 118. The deadline for the $20,000 matching grant is Dec. 31.
