He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Friends,

Above all else, singing is about listening – listening to the voices of others and adding yours in unity and empathy with your fellow singers. That new sound may be sonorous, or it may be discordant. It is always greater than the sum of its individual parts with the power to speak truths both small and large. 

This week as we listen, we hear pain, sorrow, anger, hopelessness, fear, and countless other expressions of distress. In this moment of turmoil and uncertainty we want to make clear where Bel Canto Company stands as an organization.

We denounce all forms of racism, systemic and individual. We condemn all manner of violence against Black Americans, and against any other human being. We mourn the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmoud Arbery, and so many before them. We grieve for the more than 100,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19 and lament the fact that this horrible disease has disproportionately affected communities of color, a direct result of systemic racism and entrenched social inequity.

We know that addressing these problems starts with listening and responding with compassion. Thousands of people in our community, our country and across the world are raising their voices in anguish. We hear you. We stand in solidarity with you. We will continue to listen to you. We reaffirm our commitment to use our voices in creative endeavors and a collaborative future that will arise from these difficult and necessary conversations. As cultural arts leaders, we will continue striving to give voice to all our neighbors, no matter their color, creed, or social status, in the hope of reflecting the entirety of human experience and playing our part in building a truly equitable and inclusive society.

It will take all of us to solve these issues. Bel Canto Company is committed to joining you in building the just future that all people deserve.

Bel Canto Board of Directors