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VAN FEATURES
Western Wind: into the future
Posted 3/26/2025

Western Wind Vocal Ensemble"This was a life-changing week for me."

This is how most folks departing a summer Western Wind workshop sum up their week of small-group a cappella singing, and not just on account of the lush New England venue. The terms "impactful" and "life-changing" could just as easily be applied to The Western Wind's concerts, recordings and outreach events.

The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble, formed in 1969 at the peak of the Early Music Movement, first sang madrigals and other Renaissance fare. Their repertoire was soon expanded to include music of all sorts, some of it composed for 6-part a cappella delivery, some of it adapted for this voicing. 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.
  • Cantori New York, conducted by Mark Shapiro, has released its recording Found Again, comprising works for chorus and instruments by Lembit Beecher, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate and John Rommereim, on Navona Records. See www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6703/. (2025-3-26)
  • The Cecilia Chorus of New York, conducted by Mark Shapiro, has released its recording of Daron Hagen’s human rights cantata Everyone, Everywhere on Naxos Records. The chorus premiered Hagen’s cantata, which interleaves articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with quotations from human rights luminaries throughout history, in Carnegie Hall in December 2023. Performers include The Cecilia Chorus of New York, Every Voice Generations Choir (Nicole Becker, director); Gabrielle Barkididja, mezzo-soprano; and Bryan Murray, baritone. Visit www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.579180. (2025-3-26)
  • New Amsterdam Singers announces the retirement of Music Director Clara Longstreth — who founded the chorus in 1968 and has led the group for 57 seasons — at the end of the current concert season. Ben Arendsen will succeed Longstreth, effective with the 2025-2026 season, becoming only the second conductor to hold that post in the history of the chorus. For more details, visit www.nasingers.org/announcing-our-new-music-director/. (2025-2-6)
  • Choral Chameleon has released its new album, Changing. Give a listen on YouTube. (2024-11-11)
  • After many years at Yorktown Stage, the Taconic Opera has a new home--at the Tarrytown Music Hall. Read about the move at artswestchester.org/taconic-opera-makes-a-new-home-at-tarrytown-music-hall/. (2024-10-4)

Archive of old "News" items

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NEW ON VAN
The latest additions to the site's content and features.
  • February 25, 2025: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for The Heights Vocal Ensemble, based in Washington Heights.
  • January 10, 2025: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for The Goldenrod Chorale, a new 55+ community choir in Hoboken, NJ.
  • November 4, 2024: VAN milestone: just entered the 20,000th listing into our concert database that dates back to January 1998.
  • October 10, 2024: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the Liederkranz Chorus on the Upper East Side.
  • September 30, 2024: Curious about how we prefer to format bits of information on the Vocal Area Network website? See our new VAN Style Guide.
  • September 27, 2024: New link for Dorico, music notation software from Steinberg, recommended as a successor to Finale. New link for Schubertline, an online digital database of downloadable and printable art songs by major composers.
  • September 6, 2024: We've combined the duplicate listings for the Choir of the Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew in Brooklyn and added a new Choir Directory listing for the The St. Luke & St. Matthew Choir School.
  • August 23, 2024: New Choir Directory listing for Re:Soundings -- A Choral Music Project, a 16-voice professional ensemble directed by Stephen Sands focused on creating a new concert-going experience by dispersing singers throughout the performance space.
  • August 20, 2024: New Choir Directory listing and Choir Auditions ad for the St. Luke's Episcopal Church Senior Choir in Montclair, NJ.
  • July 30, 2024: We've resolved a coding issue with our VCS file generator so that downloading calendar listings (by clicking the "D" icon to the left of the listing) should now work reliably, even if the month of the event has only one digit.

Archive of old "New on VAN" items

SERVICES
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  • 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.
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  • 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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Vocal Area Network gratefully acknowledges the support of the following Sustaining Members
who have contributed during the past twelve months:

Cantori New York (Gold)
Chelsea Song (Silver)
Florilegium Chamber Choir (Silver)
Glen Ridge Choral Society
Greenwich Village Chamber Singers (Silver)
New York City Community Chorus at Holy Apostles
Renaissance Street Singers
Voices of New York
Miriam Alimonos
Ms. Marie Caruso
Mr. John Hetland
Karen Hoepfinger

Vocal Area Network gratefully acknowledges the past support of the following Sustaining Members:

Mark & Cindy Allen; Americas Vocal Ensemble; AmorArtis; Amuse; The Babylon Chorale; Meredith Elaine Baker; Mr. Jeffrey Becker; Big Apple Chorus; The Brooklyn Community Chorus; Brooklyn Contempoary Chorus; Brooklyn Philharmonia Chorus; Mr. Bruce Bush; C4: The World's First Choral Composer/Conductor Collective; Mary Ellen Callahan; The Canby Singers; Cantabile Chamber Chorale; Cantori New York; Ms. Marie Caruso; Cerddorion; Chelsea Song; Choral Chameleon; Chorus 802; Christ Church Choir; Ms. Phyllis Clark; Ms. Jean Cooper; Dalton Chorale; Mark Davies; The Dessoff Choirs; Douglas Frank Chorale; Down Town Glee Club; Jack Eppler; Anonymous; Martha Fleischman; Florilegium Chamber Choir; Mr. Albert L. Friedman; Ms. Robin Lynne Frye; Ms. Susan Gardiner; Mr. Gary Giardina; Mr. John Daly Goodwin; Grace Church Choral Society; Greater Nassau Chorus; Greenwich Village Chamber Singers; Mr. John Hetland; Ms. Christine Hoffman; Holy Apostles Community Chorus; Ms. Mary Homan; Jennifer Howald; Hudson Valley Singers; Mr. Steve Lanser; Ms. Grace Lee, New York Choral Society; Mr. Robert Mobsby; John Morariu; Ms. Barbara E. Morgan; Mr. Robert Murtha; Anonymous; New Amsterdam Singers; The New Choral Society; New York Choral Society; New York City Community Chorus at Holy Apostles; Mr. Roger Nierenberg; Nikolai Kachanov Singers; North River Sing; Mr. Gerald Osterberg; Mr. Robert Pace; Ms. Nancianne Parrella; The Peace of Heart Choir; Renaissance Street Singers; Renaissance Vocal Ensemble; Mr. Stephen Ringlee; Riverdale Choral Society; Riverside Choral Society; Mr. Jacques Rizzo; Russian Chamber Chorus of New York; Ms. Sharon Lee Ryder; The Sacred Music Chorale of Richmond Hill, NY; Sacrum Convivium; The St. Cecilia Chorus; St. George's Choral Society; St. James' Compostela Choir; St. Paul's Church; Schola Cantorum on Hudson; Mr. Neal Siegal; Mr. Frederick Siegmund; Sing We Enchanted; The Stonewall Chorale; Teaneck Community Chorus; Nancy Tooney; Anonymous; Uncommon Chord; Mr. Dayle Vander Sande, The Aria Chorus; Ms. Judith Vincent; Voices of New York; Mr. Laurence Weller; The West Village Chorale; Women Singing; Matthew Workman; Ms. Wendy Zuckerman, in memory of Nancy Poor

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