Songcatchers Press
Songcatchers Making Ripples
Port Chester, New York – On April 16th the Songcatchers Youth Choir sang at Garcia’s at the iconic Capitol Theatre in tie-dye t-shirts they made themselves for a benefit concert honoring the late Mike Winters. Winters, the former Operations & House Manager of The Capitol Theatre and a crucial figure of the New York live music scene, passed away 5 years ago on July 1, 2018. Songcatchers chose the Grateful Dead song “Ripple”, poignantly, because it was a favorite of Mr. Winters. When Jennifer Lanser, Executive Director of Songcatchers, looked at her phone and saw a simple text from Leah Sills, a former Songcatchers board member and community philanthropist, while watching her daughter’s basketball game in December, she had a feeling that this benefit could be great for Songcatchers. Fast forward four months later and her gut was right as she said, “We are overwhelmed with gratefulness for the Winters family. We could see Mike Winters was a very special person because so many people came out to celebrate him and donated on his behalf. This really was a special night.” Lara Winters and the Winters family, who wanted to memorialize Mike, were looking for the right charity to benefit. Jim Weingast, Grateful BRO drummer, and mentor/supporter of Songcatchers suggested the beloved community organization. Mike Winters’ family chose Songcatchers, which has the tagline “Reaching For Peace Through Music” because of Mike Winters deep connection to music. The benefit concert featured local bands, Grateful BRO and Dead Meat. Garcia’s generously donated most of the ticket sales as did both bands. The Capitol Theatre and many others made generous donations. The night included a raffle with prizes ranging from vintage, mint-condition, concert posters to a “Dead Head” license plate. It also included a silent auction featuring concert tickets that were bid on as high as $2500 and a painted violin from the world- renowned artist, Charles Fazzino. All in, more than $12K was raised for Songcatchers in one night. Recently Mike’s widow, Lara Winters; Josh Cohen (Manager of Garcia’s) and Rene Pfefer of Volunteer Louder, who coordinated the fundraiser with Stefanie May visited daily performance time of Songcatchers to present the checks. After listening to the children perform Lara said, “this brought the whole experience full circle for me – seeing these kids perform for us really brought it home.”
Songcatchers Offers Valentine’s Day Music-Grams with Personalization
NEW ROCHELLE – January 13, 2023 – Need a unique idea for Valentine’s Day? Book a Music-gram with Songcatchers. For a suggested donation of $14 Songcatchers will email your personalized note along with a video of the youth choir singing your pick of one of four popular love/friendship songs to your Valentine. The songs are: Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis, Count On Me by Bruno Mars, or All Of Me by John Legend, L-O-V-E as sung by Michael Bublé. The children have been practicing for weeks and are ready to help you share the love to your favorite Valentine. Music-grams can be purchased on the Songcatchers.org website with a credit card or by calling the office at (914) 654-1178 during business hours 10 AM to 3 PM to arrange an alternate type of payment. The donation benefits the many programs of Songcatchers. These programs include the After-School Music Program (ASMP) where children are taught lessons in all types of musical instruments for less of the price of these music-grams. The Youth Mentorship Program teaches participants responsibility, leadership, teaching skills all while fine-tuning their musical abilities with professional musicians. The Early Childhood Music Program teaches violin to 4- to 7-year-olds and piano to 6 to 7-year-olds. The Songcatchers Music Camp is a reasonably priced, one-week sleep away camp in upstate New York with a music and singing concentration. The Songcatchers Intergenerational Choir joins voices of all ages to sing at various events and ends each year with a Concert for Peace. Finally, the Musikgarten introduces toddlers to the joy of music. Reserve your Music-gram today for the suggested donation of $14 starting January 10th through February 13th. Songcatchers will accommodate latecomers on 2/14 but the suggested donation increases to $20. Music-grams will be delivered on Valentine’s Day. What better way to share the love with your valentine by sending a musical greeting that not only brings music into the day of your valentine but helps give the gift of music to a child for a lifetime? About Songcatchers Located in New Rochelle, NY, founded by Sr. Beth Dowd, OSU in 1978 with the start of a small school choir. A sleep-away choir camp followed in 1980 and the organization was incorporated in 1994. Current programming includes an After-School Music Program which teaches 12 instruments to children ages 7-13, An Early Childhood Program for children ages 1 ½ -7, and an Intergenerational Choral Arts Program. The Songcatchers mission is to provide accessible high-quality music education, training and enrichment for all children and families in New Rochelle and the surrounding area. They offer students a wide range of performance opportunities and venues for sharing their music with the community at large. The unique model that Songcatchers fosters is community, mutual respect, kindness, self-esteem, leadership development and an appreciation for the arts. The Songcatchers motto is Reaching for Peace through Music. Songcatchers is always looking for volunteer high school and college musicians and professional musicians to mentor them. The phone number is (914) 654-1178, the website is Songcatchers.org ###
Songcatchers Appoints New Executive Director Jennifer Lanser
New Rochelle, December 1, 2022 – The Songcatchers Board of Directors has named Jennifer Lanser the new Executive Director of Songcatchers, Inc. “I look forward to continuing the dedication of Angela Belsole, former Interim Director, and the legacy of Sr. Beth Dowd, an Ursuline Sister who sought to reach peace in our community through music,” said Jennifer. “I am overjoyed to begin serving my hometown again; expanding and enriching the Songcatchers mission and vision.” Jennifer’s background as past Executive Director of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, along with her most recent position as Director of Development and Communications for the Ursulines of the Eastern Province, will help to advance the mission of the organization that has served as an anchor for families in New Rochelle for over 40 years. “We are so excited to have such an experienced and caring professional who shares in the spirit of Songcatchers and believes strongly in our mission,” says Karenann Carty, Songcatchers President of the Board. “Jennifer is well-respected in the New Rochelle community and is perfectly suited to leading our organization forward. We are confident that she will make a positive impact on our programs, our Songcatchers family, and our community.” Starting this month, Jennifer will manage day-to-day operations, lead fundraising, marketing and community initiatives, and lead the search for finding Songcatchers’ new home. Jennifer succeeds Interim Director Angela M. Belsole, long-time supporter and former President of the Board of Directors, who assumed the role in October 2018. “I am thrilled to pass the reins to Jennifer Lanser,” said Angela. “I am certain that we have found the right person to work collaboratively with the staff and board to continuously improve our programs and services, enhance our facilities and technological capabilities, and broaden our community reach.” About Songcatchers Located in New Rochelle, NY, the seeds of Songcatchers were planted in 1978 with the start of a small school choir. A sleep-away choir camp followed in 1980 and the organization was incorporated in 1994. Current programming includes an After-School Music Program which teaches 12 instruments to children ages 7-13, An Early Childhood Program for children ages 1 ½ -7, and a Choral Arts Program. The Songcatchers mission is to provide accessible high-quality music education, training and enrichment for all children and families in New Rochelle and the surrounding area. They offer students a wide range of performance opportunities and venues for sharing their music with the community at large. The unique model that Songcatchers is fosters community, mutual respect, kindness, self-esteem, leadership development and an appreciation for the arts. The Songcatchers motto is Reaching for Peace through Music. ###