Want to see more coverage of the vocal ensemble community? You can help! See your feature article here. You'll gain valuable exposure as a writer about vocal ensemble music and your group will benefit from the PR. Submit proposals for approval to the editor.

• Results are in from the New York regional of the 2013 Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival, held March 30 at the Miller Theatre. First place: The Rainbows. Second place: Six13. Third place: Low Key. Honorable Mention: Satellite Lane. See www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/newyork.html for more information. (2013-3-31)
• Uncommon Chord, a 10-voice, co-ed pop/jazz vocal ensemble located on Manhattan's Upper West Side, is seeking a new music director. For more information about the position and the group, see the Info Exchange or visit www.uncommonchord.org. (2013-2-26)
• The Cecilia Chorus of New York is the new name for the group established in 1906 as the St. Cecilia Chorus. (2012-11-18)
• David Hayes has been appointed to serve as Music Director of the New York Choral Society beginning with the 2012-13 concert season. Mr. Hayes is currently the Music Director of The Philadelphia Singers, a professional vocal ensemble, and the related Philadelphia Singers Chorale, a chorus of professionals and volunteers that serves as the resident chorus of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He also serves as the Music Director of the Mannes Orchestra and the Director of Orchestral and Conducting Studies at Mannes College and The New School for Music in New York City. For more information, visit www.nychoral.org. (2012-8-23)
• Ryan Brandau is the new director of two ensembles: the Monmouth Civic Chorus and Princeton Pro Musica. (2012-7-28)

Archive of old "News" items

Subscribe to VANupdate. Receive twice-monthly updates about new content on Vocal Area Network. Get the latest news items, upcoming vocal ensemble events, the most recent postings to the VAN Concert Calendar, new site features and updates to Choir Auditions, the Choir Directory and the Info Exchange. Sign up here.

• April 30, 2013: We've pared the Choir Directory and Choir Auditions page of groups that seem no longer to be extant, based primarily on web links that are no longer active. If you find that your group has been erroneously deleted, please let us know and we'll be happy to restore the listings with updated information.
• March 1, 2013: Couple of tweaks to the VAN Concert Calendar. The Calendar now sports a new, compact menu that stays on the screen as you scroll the page. And we're trying out some sharing tools to allow you to easily send a listing to Twitter, e-mail or social media services. Hope these changes are helpful.
• February 25, 2013: New Choir Directory listing for the St. Paul's Choir School Children's Choir in Englewood, NJ.
• February 7, 2013: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for The Current, a semi-professional mixed a cappella group based in midtown Manhattan.
• February 5, 2013: New links for the Jewish A Cappella Festival, coming up February 15-17 in New York; Six13, male Jewish a cappella ensemble; and two sites under the new subcategory "Booking services," GigMasters and Gig Salad.
• February 1, 2013: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the Sing for Hope Youth Chorus, a new youth choir for New York City high school students.
• December 29, 2012: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the Twin County Chorus, a Long Island-based chapter of Sweet Adelines International.
• December 18, 2012: New link for MusikReisenFaszination, offering choir and orchestra tours.
• December 3, 2012: New links for New York Singing Teachers' Association and Everybody Can Sing, offering individual and group lessons with Elissa Weiss.
• November 23, 2012: The Drew University Community Chorus is now known as the Drew University Choral Union.

Archive of old "New on VAN" items

• Need some exquisite beaded jewelry to complement your concert attire? Or perhaps a distinctive gift for that special singer in your life? Or maybe you'd like to host a jewelry show to benefit your favorite non-profit organization? Try Carnelian Knoll, where you'll find necklaces, bracelets and earrings of vintage beads and silver handcrafted by Julie Siegmund.
• Looking for rehearsal space or performance venues? Try NYC Music Places, New York City's free database of available rehearsal and performance spaces for instrumental and vocal musicians. You'll find places to rent, from studios to large venues, for classical, jazz, rock--whatever you need to rehearse or perform in NYC.
• Looking for an outstanding vocal ensemble coach? Mark Johnson, possessor of an amazing ear and terrific interpretive insights in a variety of styles, is available to coach your group. To arrange for Mark's services, e-mail Colette Thompson.
• Liz Fleischer's Sight-Singing Program is offered each season at the Kaufman Center (129 West 67th Street). Classes include ear-training, rhythm and pitch reading, music theory, basic notation and terminology, with emphasis on learning to hold a part with confidence. For more info, visit www.kaufman-center.org/lucyadults_mus_sight.htm, e-mail fleischerliz@aol.com or adultdivision@kaufman-center.org or call (212) 501-3362. The sight-singing program is just one of the classes offered by the Kaufman Center's Lucy Moses School.

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VAN gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Sustaining Member ensembles:

GOLD: The Dessoff Choirs, Grace Church Choral Society, The West Village Chorale SILVER: Big Apple Chorus, The Brooklyn Community Chorus, The Brooklyn Contemporary Chorus, The Canby Singers, Dalton Chorale, Florilegium Chamber Choir, Greenwich Village Singers, Riverside Choral Society, The St. Cecilia Chorus, St. George's Choral Society, Schola Cantorum on Hudson, The Stonewall Chorale Americas Vocal Ensemble, AmorArtis, The Babylon Chorale, C4: The World's First Choral Composer/Conductor Collective, Cantabile Chamber Chorale, Cerddorion, Chorus 802, Christ Church Choir, Douglas Frank Chorale, Down Town Glee Club, Lehman College and Community Chorus, New Amsterdam Singers, The New Choral Society, New York Choral Society, Renaissance Street Singers, Renaissance Vocal Ensemble, Riverdale Choral Society, Russian Chamber Chorus of New York, Sacrum Convivium, St. James' Compostela Choir, St. Paul's Englewood, Sing We Enchanted, Uncommon Chord, Voices of New York, Women Singing For more about how you or your ensemble can help defray the costs of providing VAN's services, visit the Sustaining Membership page.