Jazz Appreciation Month continues with The NYU Village Voices led by Janis Siegel and Lauren Kinhan
The NYU Village Voices, a contemporary and jazz vocal ensemble under the auspices of the NYU Steinhardt School of Education, performed at Yamaha Artist Services in NYC as part of a special collaboration between WBGO and Yamaha's educational arm for Jazz Appreciation Month.
The group is directed by two major figures in the vocal group world, adjunct professors Janis Siegel from The Manhattan Transfer and Lauren Kinhan from New York Voices.
The group formed at NYU in 2018 with only three singers, Lauren and Janis swapped in for being the fourth, and the ensemble gradually grew by audition membership into the larger collective that it is today. The artistic premise is to develop the skills necessary for singing close harmony while embracing the diaspora of jazz, world, pop and contemporary music, valuing group interaction, active listening and finessing concepts like vowel placement, enunciation, blending with another voice, body awareness and an understanding of the history of vocal jazz. They throw this all in a blender together with a healthy dollop of swing, beatboxing and body percussion, and of course…fun, to create a vibrant community of singing musicians.
The ensemble sound is informed by the experiences Janis and Lauren have had with their own group’s diverse musical explorations, and the Village Voices’ contemporary aspirations, interests and influences. Original music has also played a pivotal role in welcoming new songs to the party.
Eight members of the 2024-2025 semester's vocal ensemble came to Yamaha with Janis and Lauren to perform two compositions.
Claire McGuire -soprano
Emelie Richardson-soprano
Jefrey Moises - tenor
Connor Burns - tenor
Halle Mitchell - alto
Eliza Belk - alto, Safin Karim - bass
Paulo Tinsey -bass