On a recent night I sat up late discussing the afterlife with friends Elizabeth and Rick who are still suffering in the wake of their young son’s untimely death. Together we acknowledged their desire to experience Andrew again in some manner beyond dreaming of  or “seeing” him as an apparition; a desire so real and so strong as to be all-consuming at certain moments. We examined the Christian doctrine of resurrection hope from many an angle; finding small islands of relief here and there amid a vast ocean of unknowing.  In the end, we agreed that it is only possible (and perhaps enough) to wait for what is now veiled in grief to be made tangibly visible  through grace.   It seems parents everywhere who lose children to early death have this in common: they pray that what was once seen and is now unseen will reappear in convincing fashion.  And they hardly know how to be, or what to do until then.

It is my usual habit to shave before taking a shower, but sometimes the pattern is reversed.  When that happens, I find myself approaching the mirror above my sink faced with a pane of glass frosted over by condensation into which, staring, I can see no reflection of myself.  Unfazed, I simply wipe the surface of  the glass (unearthing with each swipe the ugly mug that is my own early morning  image) and get on with the business a t hand.  Sometimes the thing we do not see is there all along, but we must act first in order to unveil it.

In recent years our Foundation has perennially experienced a period of time in the each fourth fiscal quarter (April thru June) when the revenue stream that pays for our daily operation slows to a feeble trickle.  We blamed it on “post-tax season” donor fatigue, on the change of social mood as Central Florida’s cultural season winds down towards summer,  or on the flagging energies of Board members exhausted by a whirlwind of competition activity and the hosting of our amazing World-Premiere Gala in the months just previous.  We have looked for a viable solution to this pernicious and vexing problem, but not seen one that could be readily implemented until now.   What brought the solution to light was a remark made by Board member Joe Cleveland after witnessing performances at a private function by two college students associated with our  (Florida) GRADY-RAYAM PRIZE .  ” These young people”  Mr. Cleveland opined,”are in themselves the heart and soul of our mission. Anyone seeing them in action can be persuaded to support what we do on their behalf.”  Since that time Joe — who chairs the Music & Education Committee of the Board — has made it a centerpiece of his Board service to either broker or facilitate  opportunities where GRADY-RAYAM PRIZE winners can appear and perform before new audiences.  Following his lead, our Board of Directors recently ratified a staff proposal to implement  something we will call Winners’ Weekend.  Scheduled for a May 2011 debut, this activity will bring  GRADY-RAYAM PRIZE winning vocalists from each of the national competition districts together in Orlando for three exciting days of enhanced voice training,  fun with peers,  help with college preparedness, and public performance in concert.  This is a bold new venture  which — done properly– has  potential to yield dividends in the forms of  brand marketing and fundraising for us.  In plain language, it will allow the public to see the oft-hidden value of our mission as it manifests itself in the lives of  outstanding young people.

A key ingredient that will influence the success of  Winners’ Weekend was the recent hiring of Edward Washington II as our new Music & Education Director.  Edward has just completed implementation of the summer session of our first-ever Music Makes You More program; a City of Orlando supported activity that offered high school students a week’s immersion in Music Appreciation, Basic Music Theory (ear training and sight singing), Career/College Preparedness, Instruction in Voice & Piano, and Recital Performance coaching.  I wish to congratulate Edward and his volunteer faculty members Kari Ryan-Rodriguez and Deede Sharpe for a job well done.  Together they made visible and real something previously unseen except on paper . 

My prayer for all our friends and colleagues: May your hidden hopes and dreams come to pass in  tangible, speedy and believable ways.   Please continue to support our efforts to achieve the same for the many young people for whom an unseen future might otherwise appear hopeless and bleak.

In earnest,

Rudi Cleare