Alexander Ronneburg, Larry Bomback, and Anna Chelak with GOTHAM chorus at the 2022 Barbershop Harmony Society international competition
Sirens of Gotham is pleased to announce the selection of Anna Chelak as Artistic Director. In her new role, Anna will be responsible for defining and implementing the artistic vision behind Sirens of Gotham.
“After meeting many talented internal and external candidates during the search process, we are thrilled to have a new Artistic Director who is both an incredibly talented musician and an inspiring artistic leader. Anna has been a driving force throughout our history as a chorus and we can’t wait to see how she will shape the future of Sirens,” said President of the Board, Meredith Rich.
Over the past ten years as a member of Sirens of Gotham, Anna has held a wide range of leadership positions with both artistic and managerial responsibilities. Most recently, she helped to conceptualize and implement an “under their own direction” model for Sirens, in which she served as VP of Artistic Operations until July 2022. In this role, Anna prepared Sirens for their debut with the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) at the April 2022 M-AD Northern Division Contest and their appearance at the May 2022 Region 15 Sweet Adelines International (SAI) Convention, where they qualified as a wildcard for the 2023 SAI International Chorus Competition in Louisville, Kentucky this fall. During this time, she also co-directed the Hell’s Kitchen Chapter SATB chorus GOTHAM to an 8th place finish at the BHS International Contest in July 2022. She also sings Lead in the quartet Breakfast For Dinner, which placed 4th at SAI’s Region 15 contest in May 2022 and placed 7th overall at this year’s BHS M-AD Northern Division Quartet Contest with a 74.1.
Meredith Rich (President) and Anna Chelak holding the SAI Region 15 Division A trophy for Sirens of Gotham’s international-qualifying performance in May 2022
“I am excited to bring my fullest self to the role,” Anna said, “and I hope to encourage every Siren to do the same--to recognize and embrace the inherent value of their voice as we work together to hone our vocal coordination and explore the depths of our artistry as an ensemble.”
With this appointment, the chorus will transition from their previous “under their own direction” structure and Interim Artistic Team led by Elizabeth Culbertson Hillinck and Stephanie Ofshinsky. The chorus’s primary focus for the next few months will be the SAI International Contest in November.
"I am incredibly honored to take on this role and continue the momentum we’ve gained,” Anna said. “I deeply value the spirit of collaboration in this chorus, so it is important to me that my artistic vision includes championing leadership growth in others, and to do so in a way that enhances the chorus experience without compromising progress or efficiency in rehearsals. This next phase for Sirens of Gotham is all about seeking our fullest potential and setting ourselves up for sustainable success."
Anna Chelak conducting Sirens at the Barbershop Harmony Society Mid-Atlantic District Northern Division Contest in April 2023
Outside of her artistic leadership roles, Anna has also been instrumental in shaping chorus culture through her work to establish our Core Values and refresh our logo and marketing materials in 2017, expand our organizational affiliations by dual-chartering with the BHS in early 2020, and implement tangible changes to membership policies and music selection procedures in pursuit of our DEI goals.
Sirens of Gotham is also in the unique position of being chartered in both BHS and SAI. Though it has proven challenging to logistical and artistic planning, Anna is keen to embrace it.
Meredith Rich, Haley Cole, Elizabeth Culbertson Hillinck, and Anna Chelak, of Breakfast For Dinner quartet
“This chorus is extremely special, both to me and the greater barbershop community,” she says. “I am deeply committed to our inclusive choral environment first and foremost, and I am eager for the opportunity to assert that standard in multiple organizations."
About Sirens of Gotham
Sirens of Gotham is an a cappella chorus that specializes in barbershop harmony. Our membership is open to singers of all marginalized genders who are comfortable singing somewhere in the SSAA range. This may include cis women, trans people of all gender identities, non-binary people, and gender fluid people. It is our mission to build an encouraging, inclusive environment for singers to pursue the highest levels of artistry and musical excellence in a cappella singing; to master the art of barbershop harmony; and to cultivate meaningful artistic experiences that enrich the lives of our members, our audiences, and the local community.
We aim to constantly educate, innovate, and raise the bar for a cappella as an active chapter of the barbershop music organization Sweet Adelines International and a dual chapter with the Barbershop Harmony Society. In October 2018, we made our international competition debut at the SAI Harmony Classic barbershop chorus competition in St. Louis, MO, where we won 1st place Division A and 1st place overall. In 2020, Sirens joined the Hell’s Kitchen chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society alongside our companion chorus, Voices of Gotham. Competing together as GOTHAM mixed chorus, Sirens and Voices took the stage at the 2022 BHS International Competition and placed 8th in the world.
For further information, please contact Kara Scharwath, VP of Marketing, at info@sirensofgotham.org.