VAN
FEATURES
Raising Our Voices: The Cecilia Chorus of NY
celebrates 120 years of collective voice
Posted 9/11/2026
For 120 years, The Cecilia Chorus of New York has raised its collective voice on New York City stages, most notably at Carnegie Hall. On October 14, however, the ensemble will gather in the more intimate setting of 54 Below-and the idea of "raising one's voice" will take on a meaning that extends far beyond singing.
"Raise Our Voices: A Cabaret for Cecilia Chorus" celebrates the ensemble's 120th anniversary season while honoring Dr. Soon-Young Yoon, an anthropologist, feminist leader, NGO Representative of the International Alliance of Women to the United Nations and author of Citizen of the World.
But Yoon's connection to Cecilia is not simply that of an honoree. For many years, she was herself a singer in the Cecilia Chorus, lending her own voice to the ensemble she will now help celebrate. Her long relationship with the chorus makes the evening's theme especially personal.
More...
Archive of old VAN Features
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.
NEWS
VAN welcomes news of interest to the
vocal ensemble community.
Send
stories to the editor.
- Wondering why you didn't see banner ads at the tops of the site's pages for a while? So did we. Now that service has seemingly been restored, we're awaiting an explanation from our ad-serving vendor. (2026-8-31)
- The Stonewall Chorale has appointed Nick Sienkiewicz as its next Artistic Director. He succeeds Cynthia Powell. For more details, visit www.stonewallchorale.org/post/announcing-nick-sienkiewicz-as-artistic-director. (2026-7-13)
- The New Haven Chorale is proud to announce the appointment of Reagan G. Paras as its next Artistic Director. For more details, visit newhavenchorale.org/blog/. (2026-5-31)
- West Side Rag has a story about the upcoming concert by Otaku Choir NYC on May 19 at Rutgers Presbyterian Church. (2026-5-12)
- Monmouth Civic Chorus is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Vondrak as its new Artistic Director. Vondrak will begin his tenure with the ensemble for the 2026-27 season, stepping into the position held by Dr. Ryan Brandau for 14 years. (2026-4-27)
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.
- August 24, 2026: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Sing Fourth!, a community ensemble based at the Fourth Universalist Society on the Upper West Side.
- July 27, 2026: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Choral Social Club. New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Sonus, a Manhattan-based tenor-bass choir.
- June 22, 2026: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Empire Harmony, a newly-established SATB choir on the Upper West Side.
- May 15, 2026: You can now access the VAN Style Guide from the home page. Look under the Communicate links in the menu at the top.
- May 4, 2026: New link for American Music Abroad Ensemble Tours, designers of customized European performance tour tailored to your ensemble.
- January 19, 2026: New link for Harmony Travel, offering combined performing and travel opportunities.
- December 15, 2025: New link for COROS.PT, listing choirs in Portugal.
- November 3, 2025: New link for Broadway Goes A Cappella, where the magic of Broadway meets the art of a cappella.
- October 29, 2025: New link for Best Broadway Musicals.
- October 7, 2025: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Young@Heart New York City, a group for folks 75 and older.
Archive of
old "New on VAN" items
SERVICES
See also the
Info
Exchange.
- Need some exquisite beaded jewelry to complement your concert
attire or enhance your look on your next Zoom call? 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 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. Contact Mark via e-mail.
- Learn ear training, theory and ensemble skills at the Lucy Moses School’s acclaimed
Sight-Singing program. Taught by Liz Fleisher, hailed as “one of New York’s great teachers” (New York Magazine)
and “a teacher who gets results” (New York Times), classes for
all skill levels help singers learn to read music for the first time or
refine their skills. These classes are for soloists, choral singers and
everyone who loves to sing. Learn more and register online at
www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/lms/program/sight-singing/. Or
contact us at 212-501-3360 or
lucymosesschool@kaufmanmusiccenter.org.
Your purchases from
our affiliate vendors help support VAN. VAN receives a referral
fee on everything you buy. Just click through from our site and
you'll be supporting VAN at no additional cost to you.
For our book and CD recommendations, visit the VAN
Store.
Vocal Area Network gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Sustaining Members
who have contributed during the past twelve months:
Vocal Area Network gratefully acknowledges the past support of
the following Sustaining Members:
For more about how you or your ensemble can help defray the costs of providing VAN's services,
visit the
Sustaining Membership page.
