Friends, I have a personal update to share with you and it’s not an easy one. Excuse me for a moment while I take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale.
I’m just going to rip the band-aid off: March 17th will be my last day at Chorus Connection. I told you… this is not going to be easy.
Passion is at the heart of Chorus Connection’s core values. For almost my entire life, I thought that music was my only true passion. I majored in it in college. I dedicated years of my adult life and all of my spare time to singing in and leading ensembles. I was even one of the lucky ones that obtained a career in the arts, where I actually got paid(!) for it — working at a jazz festival and an international music travel company before joining the Chorus Connection team in 2017. And ever since then, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to build musical connections worldwide, create resources for choral organizations, and support the choral community as a whole.
Over the last four years, we’ve built Chorus Connection’s community to more than 10,000 choral leaders and counting! I’ve been so lucky to have been a part of that. Connecting with so many of you to learn more about your own passions and discover new ways to support you has been a real highlight of my time here.
During that time though, I developed a new passion: supporting and growing small businesses. Mix that with my thirst for knowledge and my drive for personal growth, it was only a matter of time before I needed something more. I love the work that I do at Chorus Connection and you have no idea how hard it will be to move on, but I also know that I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t follow this passion where it leads.
I’ll be honest with you — there’s a part of me (the egocentric part) that feels like I’m letting the choral community down. I know many of you rely on the resources that Chorus Connection provides, of which I am often a contributor. But there’s also a part of me that sees the opportunity to bring in new and diverse perspectives into the Chorus Connection fold, providing you with even richer resources. In fact, we’ve already got a team of great writers and content lined up for you!
Though my time at Chorus Connection is coming to an end, I know the rest of the Chorus Connection team remains committed to their vision of elevating the choral arts globally and inspiring compassion, empathy, connection, and joy through music. They will continue in their mission to find ways to connect choruses with their members, patrons, and communities to deliver beautiful choral music to the world — through both the development of the product and of new chorus management content.
I still believe in Chorus Connection’s product, its mission, and its vision.
I still believe in the value of choral arts.
I still believe in you.
While I embark on a new career path, rest assured that I'll still be singing, serving on choral boards, and advocating for and supporting the choral arts! If you’re in Boston, pop in for a Tanglewood Festival Chorus performance and say hello, or find me at a Greater Boston Choral Consortium meeting. Otherwise, please stay connected with me on LinkedIn!
I am, and forever will be, a part of the Chorus Connection family and your family, if you’ll have me. Take care and stay safe out there!
Tori Cook is the former Director of Sales & Marketing at Chorus Connection, an active board member of the Greater Boston Choral Consortium, and a soprano with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. In a past life, she was the Music Director of the Harborlight Show Chorus and President of Chorus pro-Musica. When not making music, she daydreams about adopting a golden retriever puppy and scuba diving to exotic locations around the world.