We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Susannah Fletcher and Tracy Gilson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Susannah and Tracy below.

Susannah and Tracy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Taking over the Central Coast Choral Festival from our founder of the San Luis Obispo Vocal Arts Ensemble, Gary Lamprecht. We are so proud to be able to share the love and joy of choral music with thousands of children who come from all over the state of California ages Elementary to High School. They all come with a thirst for music and they get to perform and be adjudicated on the California Polytechnic State University Performing Arts Center Stage,

Gary Lamprecht was not only our Choir Director as High School students and Adults, but our Mentor and Friend. He took us to a place called music everyday and we owe him all of our past, current, and future successes. As we navigate the years ahead, we are proud to continue his legacy through the music we share with our youth and our audiences.

Susannah and Tracy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are two of many people who volunteer and contribute their time, energy, and commitment to providing the best experience to our audiences and fans. Music has not only been a hobby, but a necessity to survive in a world that is often filled with silence and discord, One thing we know is that music is the universal language of peace, and brings people together. We are passionate about ensuring that children have an outlet where they are accepted, heard, supported, valued, and have a community where all are equal and all are welcome.

When thousands of children gather for this festival, they come with emotion and excitement. It is hard to put to words what is described when these choirs fill the space with harmony and music. But what we can speak to, is that the audience is captivated, and wanting more; the kids, choir directors, and schools cannot wait to come back. We know that for some of these students this festival will far outlive any experience they have had in their musical journey and may be the thing that carried them through hardship and life.

What separates us from other choral festivals is that the expectation is set so that everyone sings from their soul. Music is memorized and left in the classroom. Keeping music memorized allows the audience to connect with the singer and allowing the musicianship to speak for itself. It touches the audience in ways you wouldn’t expect for these age groups. Some of the high school choirs get to choose their repertoire with their conductors which allows them to choose music that is relevant to them and what is going on in their lives. This is a philosophy and foundation that Gary Lamprecht established early on in his career and will continue to be his legacy that we are proud to honor. As Gary has instilled in all of his students, “Music should be sung from the Heart.”

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A year ago we lost our founder of almost fifty years unexpectedly. We had no idea how to continue his passion for music and everything that followed; and to be honest we are still trying to figure that out now. We do know that ensuring music continues to give hope to people, and creates a space of bravery and safety is of the upmost importance. We continue this festival, we continue to sing, we continue to serve on this board because we deeply care for the outcome of this experience and existence.

Resilience is the definition of the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties, it is about the ability to bounce back, adapt, and thrive in the face of adversity. We might not be at the end of our journey but we are enjoying the process alone the way.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Come to concerts! Donate to the arts! Support your neighbor, community members, and family members by asking what their hobbies are and participating in them. Be a member of their “biggest supporting fan club and SHOW UP!”

In all seriousness it has been proven that the arts are losing their funding state wide. However students that participate in the arts often show better academic results, are less likely to drop out of high school, are more likely to attend college, and have higher GPA’s. These statistics should be proof enough that the arts matter, but we need your help.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vocalarts.org and https://www.centralcoastyouthchorus.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vocalartsslo/ ( As board president we are planning to update this soon.). And https://www.instagram.com/central_coast_youth_chorus/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vocalartsensemble and https://www.facebook.com/CCYouthChorus

Image Credits

Tracy Gilson

Susannah Fletcher

Asia Croson