On January 8, 2008, a small group of singers that would become Voices of Gotham had its first meeting. This group gathered hoping to develop a fresh new a cappella offering for New York City. Three years later, we have just begun to reach our full potential and achieve that vision. We are thankful for all the leadership and support that has helped us get to where we are today, and excitedly look forward to even greater success and achievements.
Voices of Gotham may be young in age and choral experience, but we have established ourselves as one of the fastest rising performance choruses in New York City.
Voices of Gotham is a chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, the premier a cappella musical organization in the world. Our 35 members include professional actors and musicians, former college a cappella singers, and guys who simply enjoy raising their voices in song. Our membership has a median age of 27 years-old.
Our repertoire includes classical, barbershop, vocal jazz, doo-wop, and contemporary a cappella selections. A sample cross-section of current repertoire is as follows: That Lonesome Road (James Taylor); No No Nora (barbershop – Clay Hine, arr.); Brown-Eyed Girl (contemporary - Van Morrison); and a medley of Let’s Do It and Let’s Misbehave (Cole Porter).
Voices of Gotham is always accepting new members. Guests are welcome to visit any rehearsal and our auditions are ongoing. Prospective new members should be experienced singers or performers with a strong work ethic and a desire to push a cappella performance in new directions. We rehearse most Thursdays; please see our online calendar for a list of our upcoming rehearsals.
One thing that makes us special, aside from our diverse repertoire, is that membership in Voices of Gotham is not limited to choral singing. We actively foster the development of quartets, small performance groups, and soloists who perform as featured members of the chorus, as well as booking gigs on their own throughout the city. We also employ coaches and host master classes from some of the best regarded a cappella performers in the New York City area and abroad.
In the coming year, Voices of Gotham will be presenting two self-produced shows, producing our second annual novice quartet contest, increasing our outreach to youth music education programs, competing in contests, and much, much more.
A thrilling highlight of 2011 will be traveling to Kansas City, Missouri, where we will appear at the Barbershop Harmony Society's International Chorus Competition as mic testers for the second year in a row. We are excited to represent our brand of harmony to the largest barbershop audience in the world!
The continued work of Voices of Gotham depends largely on the generosity of those who appreciate the art that we create. If you are unable to become a member, please consider supporting us by making a tax-deductible donation, or purchasing a ticket to any VoG show or fundraiser.
Live in the Seventh!
Braden Lynk
President, Voices of Gotham
Hell's Kitchen Chapter- Barbershop Harmony Society (SPEBSQSA)
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