In my humble opinion, the best relationships happen when both parties see value in collaboration, when egos are set aside, when "territorialism" is viewed as a bad word, when visionary leaders/strategic thinkers look at other arts organizations in their community as potential partners and not just competitors, and when leaders/members realize they can learn from one another, share successes and overcome obstacles together, and end up stronger as a result. From my perspective, true collaboration in the performing arts will always be much more than sharing the stage at an event. - Todd Wilson 

The Nashville Singers Board of Directors met for an all-day planning retreat this past Saturday at Lifepoint Church in Smyrna. Kudos to Lenny for securing great meeting space for us. Lunch was hosted down the street by Bruce and Kellye Cokeroft.  Thank you for your hospitality.

Doug Morrison, Lenny Farmer, Tim Mullican, Taylor Wilson, Mike Casper and Todd Wilson finalized the 2014 event calendar, which can be viewed at the end of this email, reviewed and made adjustments to the 2014 business plan and budget, and reviewed adjustments to the 2013-2020 strategic plan and accompanying income and expense forecast.

We toured the venue for our upcoming Sunday matinee concert at Lifepoint and it is absolutely GORGEOUS!

Panorama photo by Taylor Wilson

One of the action items of the day was updating our core values to include philanthropy. The complete set of core values of the Nashville Singers is pasted below.

Core Values - Membership in the Nashville Singers and the following core values are intertwined:

• Singing - We love to sing. Through singing, we provide opportunities for personal expression, spread joy in performance, and enrich our lives and the lives of others.
• Fellowship - We foster rich relationships. We are committed to inclusive and respectful relationships based on integrity, trust and reputation. Our companionship cultivates lasting friendships and a sense of belonging. Collaboration on common interests bonds people of diverse interests and backgrounds.
• Fun - We have fun. We sing for the sheer enjoyment of it. Singing is accompanied by laughter, camaraderie, and the happiness of sharing the magic of a great performance.
• Enrichment - We seek personal growth and enrichment through singing. Education permeates all that we do. We promote skills in performance, interpersonal relationships, leadership, evaluation, collaboration and administration. A culture of lifelong learning encourages members to continually seek personal growth.
• Creativity - We embrace and celebrate creativity. We create sound from silence. In that act of creativity, we bring forth beauty, hope, joy and other artistic expressions. As performers we experience the exhilaration of delivering a powerful message through exceptional performances. We deliver these results to our audiences who, in turn, undergo their own emotional uplifting. A powerful core of creation inspires us to honor the art of song in everything we do.
• Philanthropy - We have an unwavering commitment to charitable giving that supports music education in our schools and the community. As a charitable organization ourselves, we understand how charity can enrich the lives of those individuals and organizations receiving our funding.

SAVE THE DATES for two Season of Harmony Concerts

Saturday - November 23, 2013  First Baptist Church  Donelson, TN  Silent Auction begins at 6:00pm  Concert begins at 7:00pm

Sunday - November 24, 2013  Lifepoint Church  Smyrna, TN  Concert begins at 2:30pm