To whom it may concern: 

I am not sure who learned more from our ten years in CCGD; my daughter or myself. 

Juliana was the recipient of the Craig D. Erickson scholarship for her desire to go into music research.  Her time in the Children’s chorus has been the inspiration for much of her notable collegiate research.  She recognized the value of CCGD while she was in it and she is honoring the value of her experiences as she pursues her dreams. CCGD and its staff continue to inspire the next generation of musicians and artistic supporters. 

She was guided from the beginning by Ms. Nott, then Linda Harley, then Ms. Nott for several more years, Ms. Pfaffenburger, and finally Ms. Henson. The conductors made her feel as though she was collaborating with the conductor, the pianists, the musicians, and the symphony. The most poignant night with the chorus was when I was in the hospital and we called Ms. Nott, because Juliana was supposed to sing Carmina Burana with CCGD Concert 1 that night. Ms. Nott understood that singing with the chorus would help her through that time and that the chorus, conductors, and the chaperones were understanding of her needs of strength, stability, and a pathway through the unknown.  It was the highly educated, sensitive people that made the difference that night. 

This team of artists that were carefully selected for their artistry, instructional ability with children and young adults, kindness and nurturing capabilities musically and personally, and their production of musical magic that was experienced every week and every concert are all irreplaceable. They are the best in their field.  They are honored and revered in the choral world for what they have done and who they are.  If we were going to dedicate so much of our time for something, it had to be worth it.  It was the people that made it absolutely worth every moment of our time. 

If they leave, parents will lose confidence and leave.  Donor money will, too. Every parent that I have heard from was excited about Kim Ahrens; I, myself, was elated to hear that Kim Ahrens would be succeeding Ms. Nott; it is so important to have stability and consistency for the future of the chorus.  

CCGD grew exponentially during our tenure and was the talk of the nation with the praises sung by the Dallas Symphony. CCGD needs Kim Ahrens to continue on this path, but more importantly, they need to recognize the value of her artistry.  She is a rockstar in the choir universe.  She is sought after, intelligent, organized, and her enormous talent and musical intuition are supported by her education and extensive experience.  A musician of this caliber is often under-recognized (personally and monetarily) as people feel that artists can be replaced by someone asking for less money or should even give away their talents that they have dedicated their entire life to developing. 

Ms. Nott did not have the experience of knowing what her job at CCGD would be like the year she started nor was she able to foresee where it would have taken her ten years later, but she rose to greatness and was deserving of every penny and more. With all due respect to Ms. Nott, Kim Ahrens would be coming in as a MORE valuable component with experience and knowledge as to what her job and the future will be.  Her ideas and visions for the chorus are well-honed, synced with her predecessor, and supported by knowledge and respect of the mission of the chorus. 

Reinstate Kim Ahrens and give her the salary her years of knowledge, practice, and apprenticeship deserves. Artists should never play for free.  Thank you, Ms. Nott, for this lesson. 

Through my years as a parent with the chorus, I performed flute (and would still be if it weren’t for Covid), served as lead chaperone for several choruses, as a choir monitor for every chorus, chaperoned trips, Meyerson concerts, Outreach Choruses, etc. They just couldn’t get rid of me! Working with the chorus gave me an adrenaline rush; I shared that feeling with all of the other volunteers, because we were using our knowledge, energy and organizational skills to contribute to something and work behind the scenes to help produce beauty, educate children, work with incredible artists, and contribute to something far greater in the artistic world than anything else we could have done.  We were all passionate about the end result for our children, the audiences, and the beauty of the harmonious young voices that would be delivered in countless arenas. The conductors made the choirs notable, beautiful, and a valuable asset to the Dallas community. 

But none of this would have been made possible without the extraordinary expertise and organization of Susan Tomlinson.  She was the braun behind the brains doing all of the heavy lifting.  She is the person whom I learned the most from. Communication is the most important cog in the gear that is an organization maneuvering large numbers of children and the administrative position that she holds is what makes all of this work. Making sure that every parent is informed through many different facets and in-writing, the organization of parents and volunteers, the organization of music, the creation of documents, programs, and her innovation and embracing all different forms of communication, etc.; her work was endless and done to perfection.  

She is the Mozart of admin, never a retraction. 

Without the full extent of her position being continued and perhaps even expanded or divided in time (I do not see how any one person can do all that she does*), communication will suffer. Parents will be frustrated and hold the chorus accountable.  This is not something that conductors, assistants, etc. have the time or expertise to do.  Susan made the chorus a well-oiled machine.  When I am organizing something for my music students, I always ask, “What would CCGD do?” And then, I picture Susan, standing at her desk, creating the perfect communication for parents to know exactly what to do. Without the full extent of her position being continued, I shudder to think what might occur for a well-intentioned performance. 

*(Mary should not be forgotten in this writing and should be revered as well!). 

What makes the Children’s Chorus revered around the world and an inspiration for copycat organizations is their professionalism and the expectation that parents and children will follow their lead in learning how to work in a professional world.  This only comes from respect and what do parents respect? The conductors and administrative staff, because they are there on the ground with a huge area of effect commanding respect because of their experience, knowledge, leadership, kindness, and artistry.  There are VERY few people in the field that can reach those pinnacles of respect that the Children’s Chorus conductors, assistants, and pianists attain.

I call on the board to create a fair contract for the great Kim Ahrens, as she deserves the moon and the sun and is the best candidate for the job.  Show her that you hired her because you trust her to do an equitable or better job that Ms. Nott and support that with an equitable or more salary than what Ms. Nott received. They are both hugely respected and to treat them personally or monetarily any differently is showing disrespect to every artist on this planet who deserves more for their many years of practice and artistry that is supported by their innate and one-of-kind talent and musical intuition. Continue to be a leader and a respectful organization by doing the right thing and taking responsibility for this heartbreaking mess.

Keep or expand the administrative positions as they are the lifeline of the chorus that is the essential knowledge-shield between the parents, students, and the artists/conductors. The full-expanse of the administrative team functioning with the highest level of professionalism is essential to keeping parents, donors, and the finest artists involved with the chorus. 

I thank the Children’s Chorus everyday for our experiences and years, and like Sharon Miller, a song always pops into my head (How would you like to go up in a swing…was yesterday’s song.) It breaks our family’s heart to see that this extraordinary community is going through this trauma.  The artists of the world are united with the artistic staff as they stand up for their fellow artist who deserves everything you can give her.  It is synchronously inspiring and heartbreaking, but my heart breaks most for those short-sighted individuals who can’t see the true value of an artist and all that goes in to making something beautiful, memorable, life-changing, and reminds us of what it means to be human.  The artistic staff of CCGD is the kind of human I want to be and once again, I have been changed by the Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas.