Frequently Asked Questions

  • CVC was launched in 2022 through the vision and generosity of Ellen A. Michelson along with the partnership of Anthony Roth Costanzo and The Metropolitan Opera Guild. When the Guild shuttered in 2023, Choir members began a letter writing campaign to ensure the program’s survival. The campaign was a success! Costanzo’s arts incubator SCENE took on full responsibility for continuing the program, which is and has been shaped and led by Co-Directors Gina Hanzlik and Lisa Holsberg since its inception. Stuart Holt, the Guild’s Director of Learning and Engagement, helped spearhead the program in its first two seasons.

    Above all, it is thanks to our members’ dedication and our generous community of donors that CVC has been able to thrive and grow every season since our founding.

    Over the past 5 years, CVC members have cultivated a true community sharing social and artistic activities with each other outside of rehearsal. Members share announcements and invitations to concerts, performances, operas, bird watching, video viewing, drinks, and more!

  • The Choir’s eclectic repertoire encompasses a range of genres including popular music, gospel music, world music, traditional folksongs, musical theater, and classics of choral repertoire. In honor of the Choir’s origins with The Metropolitan Opera Guild, at least one element is drawn from the operatic canon.

  • No. CVC is a non-audition choir open to anyone 55 years and older. You do not need to read music or have previously sung in a choir.

    We believe all people can grow artistically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially through music-making, no matter their age or previous training and exposure to music!

  • Yes! Community Voice Choir is committed to accessibility. Our choir uses large-print scores and forms, amplification for instruction, ADA compatible rehearsal and performance spaces, and appropriate accommodations for mobility, hearing, cognitive, and sight needs.

    If you have any questions or concerns about specific accessibility needs, please contact us at CommunityVoicesChoirNYC@gmail.com. We’ll be happy to assist you.

  • Yes. There is a $40 tax-deductible participation fee, payable by cash or personal check. All fees directly support Community Voices Choir’s general operations.

    We offer scholarships for singers for whom the fee may pose a financial burden.

  • We rehearse at Houghton Hall Arts Community (HHAC) located in Manhattan at E. 30th St (between Fifth and Madison Avenues), New York, NY 10016.

    We perform at Lincoln Center Campus in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse located on the 10th floor of the Samuel B. & David Rose Building, 165 West 65th Street (between Amsterdan and Broadway), New York, NY 10023.

  • Rehearsals are Tuesday afternoons, 3:00-4:30 pm, from January 27 - April 14 (no rehearsal on March 31), at Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 E. 30th Street between 5th and Madison Avenues.

    The Culminating Event is Tuesday, April 21 at 5:00 pm at Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, Lincoln Center.

    Interested in joining us? Visit our CONTACT page. Registration will remain open until February 10, 2026.

  • CVC is a product of our community’s ongoing commitment to NYC’s 55 years and older population. To support CVC financially, visit the CONTACT page.

    Checks can also be mailed ot SCENE’s fiscal sponsor at:

    Producer Hub Inc.

    561 Seventh Avenue, 13th Floor

    New York, NY 10018

    Please put “SCENE and Community Voices Choir” in the memo. All donations to the Choir are tax deductible.

    You can also support us with your time! Reach out via email to inquire about this season’s volunteer opportunities, in person and virtually.