RES 2026-92 · Agenda item attachment · Jun 1 2026

RES 2026-92 FIRST IN COUNCIL June 1, 2026 City of Cambridge COUNCILLOR ZUSY WHEREAS: The Cambridge Community Chorus has for 35 years, welcomed singers of all ages and backgrounds from Cambridge and beyond, offering a non-audition, community-centered space for all who love to sing and for community members to enjoy; and WHEREAS: The Chorus began when the Cambridge Arts Council, at the urging of City Councillor Ken Reeves, assembled a group from St. Paul AME Church to rehearse Handel’s Messiah, bringing in William Thomas from Phillips Andover Academy to conduct with soloists and orchestra for a December 16, 1990 performance, after which many singers wished to continue gathering, and thus the Cambridge Community Chorus was founded; and WHEREAS: William Thomas was the Music Director for the first 18 years of the Chorus, and Councillor Reeves and Councillor Simmons sang with the chorus for many of those years; and WHEREAS: Under the leadership of Music Director Pamela Mindell since 2014, the Chorus has upheld high musical standards and adventurous programming, presenting world and North American premieres; and WHEREAS: During the Covid months, Music Director Pamela Mindell kept the Chorus together through online sessions of music history and vocal technique and even an in-person gathering in cars at an MIT parking lot to sing excerpts from Mendelssohn's Elijah; and WHEREAS: The Chorus performed their 2026 Spring Concert, featuring Ralph Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony, and in recent seasons performing Karl Jenkins’ The Peacemakers, Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light, Brahms’s German Requiem; and WHEREAS: The Chorus has made significant contributions to Cambridge’s cultural life and public engagement through participation in the City’s annual Holocaust Commemoration, annual Messiah Sings, holiday sings at senior facilities, and special events such as “Glimpse Beyond” at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery and the “One Community One Voice” benefit following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing; and WHEREAS: From the beginning the Cambridge Community Chorus has maintained a collaboration with the Music Department at CRLS, with student singers participating in Chorus concerts on a regular basis; and

WHEREAS: The Chorus has maintained a deep dedication to collaboration, performing with partner organizations including Boston Civic Symphony, Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, and organizing a Choral Festival in 2015 which included several children’s choruses; and WHEREAS: The Cambridge Community Chorus has, over 35 years, become an enduring and uplifting cultural institution whose musical contributions, community outreach, and spirit of welcome embody the values of the City of Cambridge; now therefore be it RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Cambridge Community Chorus and recognizing the Chorus for its extraordinary artistic achievements, community service, and commitment to making choral music accessible to all. A true copy; ATTEST:- Paula M. Crane, Interim City Clerk

Vote Certification That the City Council go on record celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Cambridge Community Chorus and recognizing the Chorus for its extraordinary artistic achievements, community service, and commitment to making choral music accessible to all. CHARTER RIGHT EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS IN COUNCIL JUNE 1, 2026 Charter Right exercised by Councillor Simmons: Monday, June 1, 2026 RESULT: 0 TO 0 YEAS: NAYS: PRESENT: ABSENT:

City of Cambridge That the City Council go on record celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Cambridge Community Chorus and recognizing the Chorus for its extraordinary artistic achievements, community service, and commitment to making choral music accessible to all.