..have both supported her fellow singers and drawn audiences in over the past five years. She is an accomplished dancer and is one of Sirens’ most fashionable members; her costumes and even her outfits during our weekly rehearsals are true expressions of her boldness, her forward-thinking, her passion for music, performing and life in general.

For over four years, Laura has served in leadership, on the Sirens’ board in a variety of roles, dedicating time to successful and engaging fundraisers, supporting in a wide variety of strategic, business and financial planning and key administrative ways, culminating in her role as President over the past year.

Members of our chorus applaud and celebrate Laura for her tenacity, her passion and her commitment to Sirens. Her leadership style reflects a deep investment in our existing community of singers while appreciating and valuing the legacy and long-standing traditions of the Sirens organization.

But her passion and leadership are only a facet of what Laura contributes and brings to Sirens. Laura infuses Sirens with an enormous amount of joy and support – from her love of creating fun cocktails (and mocktails!) incorporating our chorus trademark treats of Nerd Gummies Clusters and Haribo candies, to offering to carpool, room-share, guide new members and connect with long-term members in order to foster a sense of inclusivity and connection.

Sirens is so grateful to have Laura as a singer, a performer, a fashion maven, a cocktail guru, and most importantly, as a compassionate, thoughtful, enthusiastic leader.

..volunteering to assist the chorus in additional ways even before her time on the board, from helping coordinate photography for our 2019 winter show to offering her incredible professional catering services for receptions and events.

Despite the pandemic lockdown hitting early in her Sirens career and postponing what would have been her first convention, Colleen remained dedicated to the chorus. During the pandemic, Colleen proved essential in maintaining connections among members. Through virtual activities and personal outreach, she ensured that the sense of unity remained strong even when in-person interactions were limited. Many of us still make the charred broccoli recipe she taught us during one of her multiple self-organized virtual cooking classes!

Colleen solidified her dedication as a Sirens leader by stepping onto the board in May of 2021 as Sirens’ VP of Membership. In her 2-year tenure in this role, she naturally embodied Sirens' welcoming spirit, providing guidance to newcomers and veterans alike and ushering in many classes of new Sirens. And, amidst recent unexpected leadership changes, Colleen fearlessly stepped up as President, showcasing her deep commitment to Sirens' well-being.

Colleen's journey as a singer is equally remarkable as her involvement in leadership. She actively invests in her growth as a vocalist, engaging in voice lessons and consistently refining her skills. She dove headfirst into quartet singing, beginning in 2019 with Totally Uncalled Four, and recently took home the novice quartet award at the 2023 M-AD Northern Division contest with her quartet Off the Record. She joined the baritone section after a couple of years of singing bass for Sirens, developing a whole new set of aural skills. Her commitment to her own development serves as a shining example of Sirens’ core value of ambition.

Colleen’s warmth, creativity and sense of humor are highlights of our weekly rehearsals and her leadership has been a huge asset to the chorus. It’s incredible that she has accomplished so much for the chorus on top of being an accomplished chef, baker, mom, paralegal, and writer. We are so proud to honor her as this year’s Member of Note!

..a streamlined audition and onboarding system and process that resulted in a record size recruitment class. In her role as Marketing VP on the board has benefited from her aesthetic choices, brainstorming, website wizardry and we even made our first Sirens TikTok! This year she was excited to pivot to being treasurer, a key role managing the chorus finances where she is a spreadsheet master.

Within the music leadership she has served as the baritone section manager where she made sectionals fun and educational, and a frequent song coach who is always thrilled to find a new exercise to demonstrate the right rhythm. Her quartet pursuits with Breakfast for Dinner have helped to showcase her breadth of talent - switching from her usual baritone part to the quartet tenor - and her true love of all things barbershop.

Lizzie has been increasingly instrumental within Sirens leadership in the past year, especially during our current transitional period and search for an Artistic Director. She was asked to take on the role of guiding the artistic team and has risen to the occasion, stepping out in front of our chorus rehearsals to coach us on music and performance and is helping to keep our chorus active and engaged, spirits high, and to lead us to great progress.

Lizzie wears so many hats - but beyond all that almost every person who nominated her mentioned how much they appreciate her charming character, her supportive attitude, and her smile. Lizzie is an integral thread in the fabric of the chorus. We would not be the same without her. We are so proud to recognize her as our Member of Note!

..chorus communications, sitting on both the Logo Development Committee in 2016/17 and the Director Search Committee in 2017/18, and serving on the Board during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now in her second year as President, Meredith continues to shepherd Sirens of Gotham through an extremely difficult and unpredictable time with a gracious spirit full of wisdom, optimism, and compassion. 

On top of exhibiting superior leadership skills, Meredith is deeply devoted to our artistic success as a chorus and always comes to every rehearsal ready to learn, grow, and explore her craft along with the group. Her quartet pursuits with The Leftovertones and Breakfast for Dinner have helped to showcase her innate talent as a Baritone and her authenticity as a performer. She’s contributed countless repertoire suggestions and provided the kind of rich perspective that has enhanced our ability as an ensemble to tell stories with honesty and vigor. As Sirens of Gotham continues to explore and strengthen our relationship with our sibling chorus Voices of Gotham and our affiliation with both SAI and the BHS, Meredith has dedicated even more time and energy towards setting us up to be stronger than ever coming out of the pandemic. 

It is remarkable to everyone how Meredith manages to do as much as she does “behind the scenes,” especially during the past year when circumstances have ventured so far beyond normal routine, but she continues to keep spirits high despite difficult decisions and setbacks caused by the pandemic. We are incredibly lucky to have Meredith in a leadership.

..to take this opportunity to formally thank her for all the amazing work she has done for this chorus.

Haley brings such joyful musicianship and sincere artistry to our community every time she sings. She grew up in Indiana listening to and singing barbershop with her dad, so when she joined Sirens of Gotham in September of 2017, we were excited to add her velvety timbre to our bass section. Since late 2018, she has been singing tenor in the quartet Skittles with members of both Sirens and Voices of Gotham, winning Gotham’s Annual Tin Pan Alley Novice Quartet Competition in 2019. She also sings bass with the Sirens of Gotham quartet Breakfast For Dinner, who took home 6th place in the Region 15 Quartet Competition after just a few short months of singing together. 

Not only is Haley a talented singer, she is an accomplished visual artist and graphic designer who currently works as an Art Director at a major advertising agency in Manhattan. She has shared this expertise with the chapter in countless ways, designing all of our performance marketing materials over the past few years. Whenever a need arises, no matter how busy she may be, Haley always offers to assist.

Haley’s incredible artistic talent is matched by her generosity and dedication to the membership. She mentors new members and is a consistent example of the true embodiment of our core values of Joy, Ambition, and Authenticity. Currently, we are delighted to have her as the VP of Events, a position she has held for over a year. In her role, Haley has coordinated exciting gigs such as Summer Streets 2019 and a series of (well-paid!) holiday performances at Industry City in Brooklyn. 

As a Siren, Haley has had an unmistakable impact on our chorus. She wears her heart on her sleeve at just the right moments, helping to make our chorus culture loving and supportive. Many Sirens have fond memories of her honest emotional reactions to powerful musical experiences and moments in our chorus. In these moments when Haley sheds tears, shows us a large grin, or busts out in laughter, members around her feel welcomed to join in the joy and passion. In many ways, Haley helps us all be vulnerable together, reminding us of our shared fire: a deep emotional connection to music and a desire to represent ourselves truthfully to our audience and to each other. 

Haley is a ray of sunshine that we are incredibly lucky to behold. We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate her as Sirens of Gotham’s 2020 Member of Note.

..invitation to fully invest in the challenge at hand.

She exudes positive energy that boosts morale and dedication-a walking embodiment of our core values: joy, ambition, authenticity. A professional educator and mathematician, Sam has dedicated her life to understanding the way people think and helping people discover their full learning and development potential.

She currently is Director of Instructional Design at a major educational software company, the mother of two under the age of 12, and an active dual-member of Harmony Celebration to boot. Her experience made her the kind of leader who successfully propelled us through a challenging time when the chapter conducted a director search simultaneously with preparations for our first International competition experience. Thanks to Sam's steady and devoted leadership, the membership remained engaged, involved, and prepared through the entire process, ultimately fulfilling one of the ambitious goals we set at her first Management Team meeting: winning Harmony Classic!

In both official and unofficial roles, Sam provides crucial support to our directors, management team, and membership, always keeping the best interests of the chorus in mind. Whether it's recording teach tracks, coaching quartets, or completely rebuilding our project management systems, Sam is there and willing to participate if it means making it more enjoyable for all. She develops amazing working relationships with chorus coaches and mentors, and in everything she does she somehow manages to keep things both professional and fun. Her sense of humor, incredible talent, and multi-disciplinary expertise make her an essential member of the Sirens of Gotham community. She consistently goes above and beyond to help the chorus.

More than that, it's Sam's deep commitment to her friends, family, and teams that is cherished most. She is invested in those she is close to; there are few Sirens who haven't had an hours-long phone call with Sam to work out whatever is on their mind. A dependable friend, inspiring leader, and all-around rock star human, we are so pleased to name Sam Bunting as our 2019 Member of Note!

..the very beginning. Her various roles included Bari Section Leader, Costume Coordinator, and Assistant Director. Always an ambitious Siren, Steph took the time to complete a Director's Certification Program and became an Associate Music Director! Soon after that, she led us in our contest up-tune at the 2017 Regional Competition where we qualified to compete in the 2018 Harmony Classic Competition in St. Louis!

Around this time last year, we were bidding a fond farewell to our Founding Director, Sarah Clay Lindvall, as she moved to Atlanta. It was then that Stephanie resolutely accepted the challenge of standing in as our Interim Director. This job is no easy task; to step up and lead our passionate group of performers at such an exciting and transitional time required her to volunteer seemingly endless time and tremendous energy. Steph has handled it all with grace and boundless determination. Under her leadership, we have had a productive and successful year! We have had three audition cycles, welcoming a total of 16 new Sirens! At the 2018 Regional Competition, we earned our highest score and placement to date! In addition to all this, for 11 months Steph has held the reins--brainstorming, organizing, and rehearsing pieces for our first ever entertainment package for Harmony Classic. All along the way, she continued her work as a music educator, sang lead in a competing quartet, AND sang as a lead and front-line dancer in the Harmony Celebration Chorus! We seriously don't know how she does it all!

Through a long and arduous director search, the Sirens are endlessly grateful to Stephanie for keeping our chorus moving forward, planning months down the line, and running rehearsals each and every week. She has a deep level of commitment to this chorus, and her passion for all that we do is unparalleled. We thank you, Stephanie, for a great year and are delighted to honor you as our "Member of Note."

..in the most joyful ways with invigoratingly high standards supported by thoughtful guidance. In the past year, Lana has been paramount to the creation and refinement of the ensemble’s core values and strategic planning. As a professional in the fashion industry (she designs shoes for Nina footwear!), she contributes expert costuming advice and design savvy, helping shape our image in a way that supports our mission.

As Lead Section Manager, she delivers meticulous and individualized feedback during sectionals and on recording submissions.

She also provides a strong and reliable voice to the Music Team, helping to develop ambitious goals and the necessary steps to achieve them.

As we approach a new chapter in our journey, Lana has accepted the responsibility of leading our Director Search Committee this fall. As someone who is diligent, hard-working, and wholly dedicated to this ensemble, she could not be a better candidate for the task.

It is with resounding agreement that Sirens of Gotham nominates Lana as our 2017 Member of Note!

..a management team member. One position alone can be a handful, so to take on two positions is amazing!

In addition to having a wonderful lead voice, Anna is prepared and engaged for all aspects of rehearsal, which makes her a truly extraordinary member of our singing community. She is kind, thoughtful, caring, always open to ideas, and always willing to assist with costume issues.

Anna is most deserving of the Member of Note recognition!

..about Vicki is her awesome organization and attention to detail. Her prep for Albany contest always goes beyond what is expected—creating packets for us all with maps and extra information. She always goes the extra steps to ensure we are taken care of.

Equally important, she is a proactive thinker, always planning and looking ahead rather than being reactionary to something that has occurred. This is most important in an organization like ours, and so hard to find. She’s always one of the first to put herself forward to take on new tasks and be available for additional Sirens events.

She is a true leader, and we are blessed to have her as a member of our organization.

..in terms of operations as well as our singing skills. Administratively, Teresa has participated in the development of Sirens' Standing Rules; represented us at the recent regional leadership training; and serves as Bass Section Leader (and initiated expanding that role to Co-Leader in order to better serve the needs of the section and the chorus). She has been a member of Sweet Adelines International since 1990 when she joined the Greater Nassau Chorus. She first sang baritone for nine years or so but then desired a change and switched to bass. She has competed on the International stage as a member of GNC where they have finished in the top 10 on numerous occasions. She has also competed regionally in various quartets, with the highest achievement being a 4th Place medal as a member of Savoir Faire.

Fellow Sirens have said of Teresa:

"Teresa is… one of the most graceful leaders I have ever seen. Teresa has a wealth of knowledge, both musical and administrative, from her years as a Sweet Ad with other chapters but never holds that over anyone's head…. Her attendance record and riser focus speak for themselves - flawless. She is upbeat and likes to have fun and is a sassy Siren delight.”

"She's always on time, and ready to sing. She's a talented performer and a great asset to this chorus. She always listens to others before giving her input… and is always respectful of others. I feel better and stronger, as a Siren, having her on the risers with me.”

“She's an excellent reference on all things Sweet Adeline and thought-provoking in her recommendations.”

“A dedicated Section leader, Teresa is clear, supportive, patient, and kind in her individualized approach to assisting each of us improve as singers, and as part of our section and chorus. Above all, Teresa is an excellent role model as a member of Sweet Adelines International, Greater NY/NJ Region 15, and Sirens of Gotham Chorus.”

Thank you, Teresa, for all you do for Sirens of Gotham!  We are a better chorus and stronger community because of you!

..and passion for the true, supportive sisterhood we have formed and continued to value as highly as our musical standards, she was also the perfect person to be our inaugural Membership Coordinator.

If you are watching a Sirens performance your eyes will immediately go to JJ. She takes the stage with tons of physical energy and character; two things that also make her a great Lead. When she is out front of the chorus, she never allows us to perform with anything less than our highest, most engaged levels of physical facial, and vocal excellence. When she is out in the community, she is always talking about the awesome singing sisterhood she found and how anyone would be lucky to join it - say, do you sing?

But even more amazing than her sweet choreography moves, killer stage presence, chorus PR skills, and fire spinning and aerial talents (Did we forget to mention those? There’s nothing this woman can’t do!) JJ is a wonderful friend and support to so many of us. On and off the risers, she is an exemplary woman and her passion for her friends and fellow performers is unmatched. JJ has worked tirelessly to see Sirens of Gotham continue to grow into a successful chapter. She is at the heart of our chorus in so many ways. That is why we are proud to select her as our very first Member of Note!