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Chorus America's national study, released February 2003, finds 28.5 million Americans singing in choruses and estimates the number of choruses in the US to be 250,000.

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VAN Features
Harold Rosenbaum on the choral music of John Harbison
Posted 5/15/2013

Harold RosenbaumA while ago I had the distinct pleasure of conducting my 16-voice all-professional choir, The New York Virtuoso Singers, in a 70th birthday tribute concert to John Harbison, with the composer present. All 17 of his a cappella works, including a world premiere written for the occasion, were performed. It is not often that each member of my choir loves every piece it performs on our programs of mostly contemporary music. This time we all did.

John's a cappella choral music is lyrical but challenging to sing, deeply expressive, and tonal, if barely so. This can also be said of his choral works with orchestra, e.g., Requiem, Flight Into Egypt and Four Psalms. Both I and the singers in my choir feel his compassion and sensitivity coming through his contrapuntal as well as his homophonic (chordal) writing, and we find his attention to detail refreshing, helpful and pertinent. John puts more markings (accents, tenutos, staccatos, accented staccatos, etc.) into his music than do most other composers, which is perhaps a reflection of the conductor in him. (This careful attention to detail can be seen in a few other great composer/conductors' music as well, including Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten and Jonathan Harvey.) Yet he still leaves plenty of room for personal interpretive concepts to enter into the fray. And he knows how to write extremely well for the voice. At the end of our concert of his a cappella music, the singers' voices were not anywhere near as tired as when we performed all six Bach motets on the same program, one of similar length. More...



The Philippine Madrigal Singers return to New York City
Posted 5/10/2013

Philippine Madrigal SingersThe Philippine Madrigal Singers (www.philippinemadrigalsingers.com) celebrate their 50th anniversary with a three-month Goodwill Concert Tour that started in March with visits to cities in the United States and South America. New York City will be their last stop before they go back home to the Philippines. Most recently they were invited to perform at the 2013 American Choral Directors Association National Conference in Dallas, TX and at the VII America Cantat International Choral Festival in Bogotá, Colombia. The group returns to The Church of St. Ignatius on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 7:30 PM with a concert featuring works by Janequin, Elberdin, Malachevsky, Lennon, Warren and Filipino composers such as Alcala, Maniano and Pamintuan. More...



Archive of old VAN Features

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NEWS
VAN welcomes news of interest to the vocal ensemble community. Send stories 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.


NEW ON VAN
The latest additions to the site's content and features.
  • 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


SERVICES
See also the Info Exchange.
  • 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.

 
UPCOMING CONCERTS
Click a listing for full details.
Green dates indicate open sings.

May 21: Amy Bartram and Ekko Jennings (Soprano and lute / Manhattan)
May 21: Voices of Ascension (Choir / Manhattan)
May 21: Brooklyn Art Song Society (Art song recital / Brooklyn)
May 22: Manhattan Sacred Harp Sing (Open sing / Manhattan)
May 23: New Amsterdam Singers (Choir and chamber choir / Manhattan)
May 23: The Philippine Madrigal Singers (Choir / Manhattan)
May 26: Gilbert Classical Academy Symphony and Chorale (Choir and orchestra / Manhattan)
May 27: Distinguished Concerts International New York (Choir and Orchestra / Manhattan)
May 27: Featuring Distinguished Concerts Orchestra and Distinguished Concerts Singers International (Mega-choir with orchestra / Manhattan)
May 28: Voices in the Hall (Choirs with instrumental ensemble / Manhattan)
May 29: Manhattan Sacred Harp Sing (Open sing / Manhattan)
May 29: Five O'Clock Shadow (Vocal ensemble / New Jersey)
May 31: The Park Slope Singers (Choir / Brooklyn)
May 31: Grace and Spiritus Chorale of Brooklyn with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (Choir with orchestra / Brooklyn)
May 31: The Monmouth Civic Chorus (Choir and orchestra / New Jersey)
More events in the Concert Calendar.
FRESHEST CHOIR AUDITION ADS
Caritas Chamber Chorale
Last updated: 5/15/2013
Central City Chorus
Last updated: 5/9/2013
Chameleonic
Last updated: 4/17/2013
Choral Chameleon
Last updated: 4/17/2013
Bel Canto Chorale
Last updated: 4/17/2013
Vocal Heights
Last updated: 4/15/2013
Rhinebeck Choral Club
Last updated: 4/15/2013
The Babylon Chorale
Last updated: 4/2/2013
Twin County Chorus
Last updated: 3/21/2013
Ten and Change
Last updated: 3/21/2013
For details, visit the Choir Auditions page.
LATEST INFO EXCHANGE POSTINGS
Soprano and bass/baritone needed for pro choir at Christ & St. Stephen's
Date posted: 5/20/2013
New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera seeks soloists and stage managers
Date posted: 5/18/2013
Looking for folks to sing Four Freshmen arrangements
Date posted: 5/13/2013
144 singers needed for Shafer's Credo on June 21
Date posted: 5/9/2013
Massachusetts ACDA 2013 Summer Conference, July 24-26
Date posted: 5/7/2013
Soprano and alto needed for Guerrero mass in Bronx June 2
Date posted: 4/23/2013
Auditions for co-ed a cappella group Minor Things
Date posted: 4/19/2013
Choral Chameleon accepting applications for Summer Institute
Date posted: 4/15/2013
For details, visit the Info Exchange.
Content Contact: Steve Friedman.
Revision Date: May 20, 2013.
Technical Contact: Steve Friedman.
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