• Church of Saint Michael launches new choir, music program (Posted 9/19/2008)
• Reflections on a performance experience in China (Posted 8/31/2008)
• Securing the elusive second performance:
  composers and ensembles working together to promote new music (Posted 8/15/2008)
• Artist on the edge: an interview with Hila Plitmann (Posted 7/11/2008)
• West Village Chorale adds evening of opera choruses to its Summer Sings (Posted 6/30/2008)
• Sunset, Night, Sunrise: RCCNY offers choral miniatures and romances (Posted 5/25/2008)
• Canoni Chorale: Back to Brooklyn (Posted 5/20/2008)
• Words and music: The Metamorphoses of Paul Crabtree (Posted 4/21/2008)
• Lessons from a rising star: Kiera Duffy takes on The Metropolis Ensemble challenge (Posted 4/7/2008)
• New works spearhead opening sessions of NYC choral music festival (Posted 4/6/2008)

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.

• Christopher Clowdus is the new artistic director of the Empire City Men's Chorus. (2008-9-13)
• Robert Bass, Music Director of the Collegiate Chorale, has died. He was 55. See the obituary in The New York Times. (2008-8-26)
• Read about the New York City chapter of the Complaints Choir in this article from the Village Voice. (2008-8-15)
• David Labovitz, conductor of the Choral Symphony Society and the New York Cantata Singers, passed away at age 92 in June 2008. A memorial concert will take place at 2 PM on what would have been his 93rd birthday, August 13, at Christ & St. Stephen's Church, 120 West 69th Street. (2008-7-23)
• Kristina Boerger has been selected as the "Outstanding Choral Director" of the year by the New York State chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. (2008-7-20)
• Chorus America has created Singer Network, "the first members-only web community for, by, and about choral singers." (2008-5-27)
• American Composers Alliance has announced that conductor Harold Rosenbaum will be this year's recipient of the prestigious Laurel Leaf Award, to be awarded during the upcoming ACA Festival of American Music on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:30 PM at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space. The Laurel Leaf Award has been presented annually since 1951 to individuals and organizations in recognition of distinguished achievement in fostering and encouraging the performance of new American works. Among the recipients of the Laurel Leaf have been the Juilliard String Quartet, Leonard Slatkin, Gunther Schuller, Leopold Stokowski, George Szell, Minnesota Composers Forum, the American Music Center, the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group and, last year, cellist Fred Sherry. For more information, visit acafestival.blogspot.com/2008/04/2008-laurel-leaf-award-goes-to-harold.html. (2008-5-25)
• Get 25% off tickets to G&S Fest 2008, presented by the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players at City Center. This year's festival runs from June 6 to June 15 and features four great shows: H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado and The Gondoliers. Call CityTix at 212-581-1212 and mention code GSD or visit www.nycitycenter.org and enter code 3686. (2008-4-30)
• Make Music New York (MMNY) is a live, free musical celebration across the city that will take place this year on Saturday, June 21. On this day, the first day of summer, public spaces throughout the five boroughs -- sidewalks, parks, community gardens and more -- will become impromptu music stages, dance floors and social meeting points. Thousands of amateur musicians, in every genre, will play on the sidewalks for the biggest crowds of their lives. Professional musicians will pique the interest of new audiences, who will hear unfamiliar groups and styles of music risk- and cost-free. Last year's MMNY included 560 free concerts with 1,927 musicians, and this year's event will be even bigger. For more information, visit www.makemusicny.org. (2008-4-21)
• Dr. Jonathan Babcock has announced that he is stepping down as artistic director and conductor of the Empire City Men's Chorus. His final performance with the Chorus will be in a joint concert with the Astoria Symphony May 17 and 18. Dr. Babcock has accepted a teaching position at Texas State University near Austin. He has led the Empire City Men's Chorus, formerly the Gay Gotham Chorus, since 2001. (2008-4-20)

Archive of old "News" items

• November 17, 2008: New link for the International festival of choirs and orchestras in Tuscany (Italy) in July-August 2009.
• November 12, 2008: New Choir Directory listing for Choral Chameleon, a professional chamber choir on the Upper East Side.
• November 9, 2008: New Choir Directory listing for Christ Church Choir (Somers Point) in Somers Point, NJ.
• October 25, 2008: New Choir Directory listing for The Chancel Choir of the Reformed Church of Bronxville.
• October 19, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Sorensen Singers, a new community choir forming on the Upper East Side.
• October 6, 2008: New Choir Directory listing for the Church of the Immaculate Conception Chancel Choir in Montclair, NJ.
• September 13, 2008: New link for Muzikjakit Productions, providing recording services for the tri-state area's choral organizations.
• September 9, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Bountiful Blessings Gospel Singers, a new gospel ensemble in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
• September 8, 2008: The design of the Choir Directory has been updated to match that of the Info Exchange and the Choir Auditions pages.
• September 8, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Voices of New York, a community chorus based on the Upper East Side.
• August 31, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Camerata d'Amici, based in Westchester and Fairfield Counties.
• August 29, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for The Choral Workshop, a new ensemble based at The Kaufman Center, directed by Judith Clurman.
• August 27, 2008: We've fixed a code problem, so that the Choir Auditions page (alpha sort) is now alphabetized correctly.
• August 15, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the Gotham Scholars, a new Upper West Side chamber choir directed by Mark Kaczmarczyk. New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for Shirei Chesed, a community chorus at Ansche Chesed Synagogue on the Upper West Side. New URL for The Gay Men's Chorus of Manhattan.
• August 10, 2008: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the Waldorf Choral Society, based in Garden City, NY.

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. NYC Music Places is a service of Exploring the Metropolis, the only nonprofit organization that focuses solely on resolving performing artists' needs for work space.
• 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.
• Candy Ear Studios in Soho offers digital recording to ADAT, DAT or CD. Owner David Strahl does very nice work with voices. Mention Vocal Area Network and get a 10% discount on six hours or more of recording and editing time. Visit Candy Ear on the web or call (212) 965-0927.