You are just the sort of person the Sullivan Ballou Fund seeks to recognize and affirm. We recognize that you are an acclaimed singer and choir director, with decades of important work as an artist and a teacher, and more recently as a dynamic speaker and presenter. Many organizations have highlighted your work.
But beyond your obvious talent and ability, you are known for personal attributes that are especially valuable in the work you have chosen. You are a fun, positive, upbeat person. You love what you do, that love is contagious, and you instill hope and positive energy in those around you. And you do it selflessly, from the heart. It is your singers who are important to you, not your ego.
These qualities have been especially evident in two of your primary projects in recent years. Several years ago you co-founded MacPhail Music for Life, a pioneering choir program for people over 55. And you have directed several Giving Voice choirs, which consist of people with dementia and their care partners.
It is perhaps especially in the Giving Voice choirs that your personal attributes are most valued. Discouragement and hopelessness can plague people suffering from Alzheimer’s and other form of dementia. To offer your choir members happy hours of singing, and a chance to soak up your upbeat, affirming spirit, is a wonderful gift. And we know that you do it respectfully and without condescension—you challenge your singers and expect their best.
We have had the pleasure of seeing several Giving Voice concerts, and is has been a joy to see the happy faces of your singers making the music they love. Thank you for what you have done.
Congratulations!
Elissa and Bruce Peterson, Founding Members