SVOG Spotlight Series: Cappella Clausura
Cappella Clausura is a professional vocal ensemble based in Newton/Boston founded by Amelia LeClair, with the mission to highlight music of female composers from the 9th century to present-day. The group has brought together singers and players from the Greater Boston area for the past 16 years, keeping the name “Clausura (Cloister)” as a metaphor for the cultural obstacles faced by women composers throughout history.
When COVID hit, it caused a major setback to their organizational progress made through the years. Cappella Clausura has been run by a volunteer director up until 2016, when a half-time business manager was added. That position later grew to their first-ever, full-time Executive Director in August of 2019 – a positive sign that the company was growing.
No live concerts planned; Cappella Clausura simply could not justify keeping on any staff, however. LeClair managed to keep their new Executive Director on through the end of the year with support from the Paycheck Protection Program – but that position eventually had to be furloughed in the summer. The PPP also employed 15 artists and a videographer temporarily, which helped LeClair produce a series of virtual concerts.
LeClair and the board of directors, all volunteers, were in touch frequently – meeting monthly over Zoom to try and come up with ways to stay in business and to stay in contact with 1600+ email subscribers. For the time being without many options, producing virtual events was the only way to stay relevant and keep their stakeholders engaged.
LeClair stayed connected with the SBA Massachusetts District Office during the crisis, and watched an informational webinar hosted by Rosa Taormina with the Small Business Development Center at Salem State University.
She learned that Cappella Clausura was eligible for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and received free counseling services to help her navigate the application process. After being awarded the funding, the SVOG made it possible for Cappella Clausura to continue paying for most of their live recording costs and helped prepare them for reopening in the fall by hiring staff again, including a new Executive Director.
Although with all the COVID restrictions that are becoming the norm for performance venues, the future was still uncertain.
Like a butterfly coming out of a cocoon – today a new season with optimism is on the horizon. Cappella Clausura found a new home at well-vented Emmanuel Church of Boston, where the company will rehearse and perform; as well as in Newton at their former home, Eliot Church.
The new season begins in November with live performances of last spring’s virtual event, TROUBADOURS 2021 – featuring five commissioned works based on the poetry of 12th - 14th century females with an eclectic mix of jazz, hip-hop, classical, and Bengali genres.
From there, Capella Clausura has an array of performances already lined up throughout the year including a special Women’s History Month event in March, a string orchestra in May; and a traditional collaboration with the Newton Theater Company in June – stay tuned!