newVoices Sounds a Christmas Tradition

Posted on Dec 9, 2019 by

by Kat Boogaard This time of year, I can’t listen to Bing Crosby or Fred Waring without a smile spreading across my face and tears filling my eyes. Why? They were favorites of my grandpa’s.  I remember sitting perched on his knee in his worn recliner while he told me how much better Bing was than Sinatra, or while he chimed in with all of the funny sound effects during Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians’ […]

Linda Hash Receives This Year’s Rick Bjella Honorary “Chair”

Posted on Oct 14, 2019 by

This year, newVoices is proud to recognize Linda Hash with well-deserved distinction of the Rick Bjella Honorary Chair.  This honorary “chair” was established to celebrate the 25 years of leadership Rick Bjella dedicated to our organization. During his tenure, he maintained high artistic standards and a passion for the art form of choral singing. The only requirement for being selected to hold this honorary position is that the holder displays the same passion Rick did. […]

newVoices Premieres Three New Pieces at Fall Concert

Posted on Sep 30, 2019 by

By Kat Boogaard As a musician, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of tackling a piece of music that’s brand new to you—but there’s something extra special about performing a piece that’s new to everyone. newVoices is fortunate enough to have that opportunity at our fall issue-based concert, “Aim High: A Musical Conversation About Gun Responsibility.” Three of the selections are so new that they’ve hardly been performed, and our choir has the incredible honor of […]

“Aim High” presents issues and music created in response to gun crimes

Posted on Sep 24, 2019 by

The annual fall concert is part of the choir’s commitment to presenting community engagement programming on a topical issue that affects the region. Past issues have dealt with topics such as sex trafficking, suicide, and homelessness. The goal of the programming is not to reach conclusions, but to have a respectful discussion of all sides of the issue, then frame the emotions within powerful, choral music. Almost 42% of Americans live in a household with […]

High School Master Singer Honored

Posted on May 8, 2019 by

One of our outstanding High School Master Singers, Spencer Hornung, is the recipient of the Miller Family Music Education Scholarship, a fund within the Community Foundation. The award amount is up to $25,000 a year for up to four years, making the total award amount of up to $100,000. It is given to a graduating senior who resides in the Fox Cities or Door County, and who is pursuing a bachelor degree in music education or performance. […]

New composers featured in May concert

Posted on Mar 12, 2019 by

In our upcoming concert, LUX:Light, we feature a program of new composers. This collection of works represents the masterworks of the future, and Artistic Director Dr. Phillip A. Swan gives you insight on these beautiful selections:

Be Resolved for the Local Arts

Posted on Jan 4, 2019 by

While we’re all welcoming 2019 and resolving to lose weight and exercise more, I will pause and ask for all of us to consider a few resolutions for the arts. We take pride in the vibrant cultural life we enjoy in the Fox Valley, we value the high quality and variety of art forms in our backyards, and many of us participate in the arts. But the local arts require care and feeding to maintain […]

Sacred music in a secular world

Posted on Dec 4, 2018 by

In 2012, leaders of newVoices choir made the decision to present a completely sacred Christmas program–response since then has been overwhelming. Last Christmas, almost 2,000 people experienced the message of Christian salvation presented through music in a series of three live choral concerts. This year will be no different. Our decision to embrace a sacred program was made to give our audiences a choice. We love Santa and Rudolph as much as anyone else, but […]

Meet the newVoices Section Leaders

Posted on Oct 26, 2018 by

by Kat Boogaard, Alto There are plenty of people involved in ensuring that newVoices makes beautiful music for each and every concert. There’s our phenomenal artistic director and conductor, our amazing associate conductor, our astounding accompanist, and of course, our talented singers. But, that’s not the whole picture. In fact, there are a few key players at our rehearsals that you might not know very much about: our section leaders. What Do Section Leaders Do? Each […]

Composer in Residence: Elaine Hagenberg

Posted on Oct 1, 2018 by

On Sunday, October 7, composer Elaine Hagenberg will visit Appleton and the newVoices rehearsal to work with the chorus on her piece, “O Love.” The choir will perform this melodic work in our upcoming concert “Please Stay: Listen. Hope. Care. Prevent Suicide.” Having a composer work with us directly is a true treat and Elaine shares some of her thoughts regarding the collaboration between composer, conductor and singers. newVoices: What does the composer bring to rehearsal/performance versus […]