Village Voices

Work one-on-one with two of the most respected jazz harmony singers in the business from legendary vocal groups The Manhattan Transfer and New York Voices.  Janis Siegel and Lauren Kinhan will direct repertoire eclectic and inspired, the goal to play vibrantly in the genres and use the voice lyrically and instrumentally.  You will dive head first into the groove - whether swing, bossa nova, R&B, or other - deepen your strength as a harmony singer, discover your solo sound within the group framework, and generally grow your musicianship skills.  We want you to be flexible, musical, and bookable in the real world, and this ensemble will provide real insight into building the chops, vocabulary, and attitude you'll need to achieve that. Everyone is welcome to audition, strong sight reading, vocal technique, and memorization skills are required for this fast paced advanced vocal group.

Auditions are Open:

We are auditioning for all parts for Spring 2025 - with a strong emphasis on Tenors and Basses!  We meet once a week on Mondays, 6:45-8:45 PM, in building 35 West 4th Street, room 779. Please fill out the audition form and submit your auditions by January 6, 2025.  Provide a url link to your audition in the form and/or email us directly with your audition materials.  We may need to request call backs, so the sooner you audition, the sooner we can request additional materials or meet in person.  

Who Can Join:

Vocalists and instrumentalists who pass the audition can join. Priority is given to Vocal Performance majors. Freshman are not able to audition for vocal performance ensembles.

Audition Information:

This fast paced advanced vocal ensemble requires outside class preparation to maintain the speed at which the music must be learned while maintaining the high level of performance this group is known for.  

Please find audition materials in this Google Drive. The selections reflect some of the styles we will cover in the semester, giving us an indication of your familiarity with group singing, intonation, style and technique.

In addition, please sing a piece that shows off your solo voice. It can be in any genre, but keep in mind, you want to represent your musicianship skills and soloistic personality that communicates an ability to cover the many styles we feature in the class. A typical Village Voices set encompasses jazz, pop, R&B, folk, art song, and everything in between, so be creative and show your talents with aplomb.

In the Fall semester of 2023 we were invited to record our repertoire at WBGO Jazz Radio in Newark, NJ and were featured on the radio on three different occasions. We also did a musical exchange with a visiting high school from California where we performed and mentored the up and coming students.  We are always looking for performance opportunities for the group as well as collaborations within the NYU community. 

If you have any questions, please contact: jbs12@nyu.edu and ljk6@nyu.edu.