The Board of Directors of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) has named Sarah Shoffner their new executive director. Shoffner, who has been serving as BGMC’s interim executive director since last August, will begin in the new role immediately.
Shoffner has over 10 years of arts nonprofit management experience with a track record of creating and implementing development plans that provide foundational support to performing arts organizations. Over the course of her career, she has worked with the Boston Ballet, Boston Center for the Arts, and Boston University. As BGMC’s interim executive director, Shoffner oversaw the successful holiday and spring concert series and an historic performance at the Inaugural Celebration of Gov. Maura Healey this past January. She also reimagined BGMC’s annual gala fundraiser and formed a new community volunteer partnership with Habitat for Humanity.
“Sarah’s passion for and experience with the arts, audience engagement, fundraising, relationship building, and cultivating community and business partnerships is exactly what BGMC needs in a leader now and into the future,” said BGMC Board Chair Al O’Connell. “The pressures of near-historic inflation and changing audience expectations have created a new performing environment that is almost unrecognizable from its pre-pandemic origins. Sarah has navigated this new environment with uncompromising skill, grace, courage, and leadership. We are thrilled that Sarah accepted our offer to remain at the helm of BGMC.”
“I am so honored to be named BGMC’s new Executive Director. Among gay choruses nationally, BGMC is a recognized artistic leader, but BGMC also stands out among Boston’s broad range of talented performing arts organizations,” Shoffner said. “I am excited to set the stage for years to come with new opportunities to advance BGMC’s artistry and impact. And I’m incredibly proud to be able to do so during a time when music’s power to build community and broaden understanding is needed now more than ever.”
“I’ve worked closely with Sarah over many years, including when she was our Customer Engagement Manager back in 2016 and when she put the systems in place during our 2018 tour of South Africa for BGMC to raise $40,000 for organizations that serve LGBTQ youth and adults, LGBTQ refugees, and people living with HIV,” said BGMC Music Director Reuben Reynolds. “I’m happy to say that those experiences, as positive as they were, don’t compare to the joy it has been these past months working with Sarah as BGMC’s leader. She has a way of putting all the pieces in place so I can focus on the music and our members can focus on the singing without having to think about anything else. I am over the moon with Sarah’s decision to stay on as our Executive Director.”
— from a BGMC press release
More: bgmc.org
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