May 31, 2022
Dear SANS community,
As we begin our final week of preparation for Saturday’s spring concert, we want to share with you the news that Jonathan Singleton has decided to step down from SANS at the end of this season, in order to spend more time with his growing family.
Jonathan has been our leader and a member of the SANS community for ten wonderful years. His skilled direction, extraordinary musicianship, and gentle guidance have taken SANS to new heights. In his time, SANS has grown musically, expanded our membership, and added concerts with a full band each season. With Jonathan, we’ve traveled together to South Africa (2012 & 2017); Nicaragua (2013); Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, and Turkey (2014); Cuba (2015); Colombia (2016); South Carolina and Louisiana, including the Houma Nation (2018); and Argentina and Uruguay (2019).
Honor of a lifetime: Performing for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Cape Town, South Africa, 2017
While we have not been able to travel together for the past two years, we thank Jonathan for his leadership and creativity in keeping SANS together and singing through the Covid pandemic.
Our June 4 concert, “A Million Dreams,” will be Jonathan’s last, at least for now. We will celebrate his time with us, and will send him off with an uplifting and heart-felt night of music and memories.
A special moment between father and son: Jonathan’s dad joined us for a concert in Charleston, South Carolina, 2018.
After ten years with us, Jonathan is the only SANS director some current singers have ever known, and he will not be replaced easily. The SANS Board is already at work on plans for next year, including a search for a director who will lead us on our trip South. The rest of the current SANS staff will continue with SANS next year: Assistant Director Kilian Mooney, Accompanist Austin Marks, Vocal Coach Louise Grasmere and Administrative Director Linda Shoemaker. We will share more details about next year in the coming weeks.
But this week we celebrate Jonathan and all his contributions to SANS over these past ten years.
To join in the celebration of Jonathan's ten years with Sharing A New Song, we invite you to attend our concert, "A Million Dreams," to help send Jonathan off with our thanks and love.
"A Million Dreams"led by Jonathan SingletonSaturday, June 4, 8pmFirst Parish Unitarian Universalist630 Mass Ave, Arlington
Concert details and tickets are available here.
We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
The SANS Board of DirectorsJane Arsham, Carlee Blamphin, Jane Culbert, Susan Moscardelli-Zauner, Claire Neely, Patty Parker, Alan Rias, Alan Simpson & Linda Shoemaker, Administrative Director