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

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• 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)
• Gene Murrow is retiring as executive director of Gotham Early Music Scene, though he will remain as president of the board. He will be succeeded as executive director by John Thiessen. (2022-8-31)
• Emma Daniels is the new music director of Philomusica. Gwendolyn Toth is the new music director of the Saint Ignatius of Antioch Choir. (2022-8-26)
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has an article about the retirement of Amy Kaiser as director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus after 27 seasons. Prior to her St. Louis appointment, Amy was an active part of choral life in New York, where she was music director of the Dessoff Choirs and the Mannes Chamber Singers, a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music, guest conductor for the Metropolitan Opera Guild and principal conductor of the 92nd Street Y’s school concert series. She also prepared choruses for the New York Philharmonic and the Mostly Mozart Festival. (2022-5-11)

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.

• 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.
• May 19, 2022: New Choir Directory listing for The Brasiles Ensemble, an a cappella quintet based in Garrison, NY.
• May 4, 2022: New Choir Directory listing for the St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church Choir in Baldwin, NY.
• January 26, 2022: New link for Singing and You, Gretchen Greenfield's site devoted to learning how to sing better.
• January 13, 2022: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the Catskill Choral Society, based in Oneonta, NY.
• November 18, 2021: Ensembles come, ensembles, go. And when they go, they usually don't let us at Vocal Area Network know of their demise. If you come across listings for groups that seem no longer to be extant, please drop me a note at steve.friedman@van.org and let me know. Thanks to Merve Ciplak for identifying five or six groups in the no-longer-active category.

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 rehearsal space or performance venues? Try NYC Music Spaces, part of Fractured Atlas's SpaceFinder NYC 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. Contact Mark via e-mail.
• 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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