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Read some of the nice things people are saying about Vocal Area Network.

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• Ron DeFesi is the new musical director of The Warwick Valley Chorale. (2023-1-7)
• James John artistic director of Cerddorion, leads "Pilgrimage" as part of Make Music Winter on Wednesday, December 21. Headlamp-clad singers will walk a route along Riverside Park making stops at the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and other landmarks to sing medieval melodies once sung on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. For details, visit makemusicny.org/2022-make-music-winter-schedule/pilgrimage. (2022-12-14)
• ALERT: Some nefarious party purporting to be Vocal Area Network is again sending e-mail solicitions "requesting gift card donations to assist Veterans at hospice care." This is a known scam of the gift card variety. Please discard these e-mails and report the actual sender to the appropriate authorities if you can. One such place is the FTC's fraud reporting site at reportfraud.ftc.gov/. These e-mails are from neither Steve Friedman nor Vocal Area Network. (2022-9-27)
• New York City’s longest-running early music series Music Before 1800 has introduced Bill Barclay as its first-ever Artistic Director. As founder Louise Basbas transitions from executive director to board president, Barclay takes on artistic responsibilities immediately. (2022-9-20)
• The Western Wind has announced three new members of the ensemble: bass Paul Greene-Dennis, soprano Christina Kay and tenor Bradley King. (2022-9-7)

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.

• January 16, 2023: New Choir Directory listing for the Washington Heights Community Choir, a no-audition choir in upper Manhattan.
• December 15, 2022: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the St. John's Choir, a semi-pro church choir in Somerville, NJ directed by Mark Trautman.
• December 4, 2022: New link for New York Theatre Guide.
• November 30, 2022: We've done some culling of the elements on the home page, mainly to remove links to sites that are no longer extant or useful.
• October 17, 2022: New link for Skillshare, offering online classes in music and other endeavors.
• September 20, 2022: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the West End Community Choir, a new choir based on the Upper West Side.
• September 10, 2022: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for The Old Mill Singers, a community chorus based in Ossining, NY.
• July 25, 2022: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Larchmont Madrigals, a newly-formed group in Larchmont, NY.
• July 15, 2022: In the interest of more secure web-browsing, all visitors to Vocal Area Network will now be redirected to the https:// version of the site.
• June 1, 2022: We've cleaned up some listings in the Choir Directory. Thanks to Merve Ciplak for identifying a handful of ensembles that are no longer active.

Archive of old "New on VAN" items

• 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.

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