2019-2020 Annual Report

Message from the President

Dear Friends,

In 2020, Measure for Measure, A Men’s Choral Society was mid-stride in an enthusiastic period of growth and community outreach with artistic and cultural groups throughout the country. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 public health crisis led us to an abrupt cancellation of the season’s rehearsals and performances, and curtailed revenues for 2020, at a time when access to the arts was most desperately needed.

Before the pandemic curbed us, Measure for Measure had celebrated many successes. In the 2019 fall, we celebrated our annual late August Summer Sing, open to all singers in the area and led by half a dozen Michigan choral conductors. In the 2019 winter, we fostered our tradition of male voice choir singing by hosting our annual holiday performance with The Ann Arbor Boychoir. At this performance, we premiered Michigan composer Stacey Gibbs’s A Song of Triumph and made our annual appearance with the Ann Arbor Symphony Holiday
Concert filling the 3000 seat Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor.

Measure for Measure continues to lead by commissioning new four-part men’s choral music with composers from Michigan and across the country. Recent pieces include War Music by Michigander Jeffrey Cobb’s; The Map by David Moore, jointly commissioned and performed with the University of Michigan Men’s Glee Club; A Beautiful Thing by Michael Cox; Rise by Arianne Abela; and two new, exciting works, A Song of Triumph and Great Day by Detroiter Stacey Gibbs.

With perseverance, we will continue rehearsing weekly online as a chorus until we can practice and perform together in one space once the pandemic is over. We are looking forward to future performances with the Ann Arbor Symphony and a 2022 appearance at the Intercollegiate Male Chorus seminar at Albion College in Michigan.

Sincerely,
Andrew Pawuk
Measure for Measure President

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Board of Directors

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Revenue and Expenses

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Events

Summer Sing

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In 2018, M4M initiated hosting an annual ‘Summer Sing’ in late August, open to all singers in the area and led by half a dozen regionally prominent choral conductors. The 2019 ‘Summer Sing’ at Eastern Michigan University was a resounding success with participation growing from the 2018 initiative.

Holiday Pops with Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra

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M4M has become a staple of the Ann Arbor Symphony’s annual Holiday Pops concert, and the “go-to” men’s chorus for large symphonic works.

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2019 Concerts

Jan 2019	Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor	Mozart Requiem, Ann Arbor Symphony, Livingston Women’s Chorale
May 2019	First United Methodist Church, Northville	Concert
May 2019	Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor	Spring Concert
July 2019	St. Joseph Parish Festival, Dexter	Concert
Aug 2019	Eastern Michigan University Honors College, Ypsilanti	2nd Annual M4M Summer Sing (open participation)
Dec 2019	Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church, Dearborn	Concert
Dec 2019	St. Francis Church, Ann Arbor	Holiday Concert, Boychoir of Ann Arbor
Dec 2019	Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor	Holiday Pops Concert, Ann Arbor Symphony, Ann Abor High Schools

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Our Goals

The quality of M4M’s programming derives from two main sources: the recognized musical skill of its director, and the dedication and musicianship of its members. That quality is underscored by the reception M4M has received from audiences, and by its invitations to various conferences and symposia around the country. It is also reflected in the quality of the composers who have accepted commissions from the group, such as the well-known Detroit composer Stacey Gibbs, whose works M4M has proudly premiered.

While the success of any artistic endeavor is largely subjective, M4M defines and judges our own artistic success in at least three ways: the enjoyment our audience experiences from hearing us; the joy we feel in sharing our music; and the satisfaction and pride derived from mastering a repertoire and performing it at a high level of musicianship. Our goal is to end each season at the highest level we can achieve in each area.