Bard Conservatory Graduate Vocal Arts Program

05/14/2026

Huge congrats to our VAPs and Collaborative Piano Fellows on a wonderful performance of "Love and Truth, Actually" at Olin Hall!
This recital was the perfect culmination of our work in Core Seminar IV, bringing together twenty-one characters from operas by Handel and Mozart.
From the front desk drama at the Hotel Commendatore to the grand wedding of Cesare and Cleo, so proud of the hard work everyone put into bringing these amazing scenes to life! Bravi tutti!👏❤️

05/06/2026

05/05/2026

The first year members of the Bard VAP welcomed Spring with a beautiful concert at the historic Wethersfield Estate on Saturday! The concert included F***y Hensel’s Gartenlieder, newly arranged pieces as part of the “Wethersfield Songbook” by Ryan McCullough, and songs to celebrate the season.

You can hear the first years next when they perform Rumshinsky’s operetta “Khantshe in America” at Bard College on May 14th and at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research on May 18th.

Bravi tutti!

05/04/2026

Graduate Recital Post!!

This year our seven second year VAP students have prepared a collection of thoughtful and inspiring recitals along side the Collaborative Piano Fellows.

Two have taken place already and are available for viewing on YouTube. ❤️

April 25th
Michael Adams, soprano & Lara Saldanha, piano

https://www.youtube.com/live/XFfyuGT1waI?si=eWYWbD36SaR89-B-

April 26th
Chirbee Dy, mezzo-soprano & Ella Nagy, piano

https://www.youtube.com/live/Sqa6WaUSNr8?si=sI78ktwhkDsej_mV

May 9th
2pm EST
Madelin Morales, mezzo-soprano & Kyeongji Koh, piano

5pm EST
Tim Widner, bass-baritone & Nomin Samdan, piano

May 10th
7pm EST
Sydney Cornett, mezzo-soprano & Yumi Jang, piano

May 16th
7pm EST
Benjamin Truncale, Tenor & Kyeongji Koh, piano

May 19th
1pm EST
Imani Olouch, mezzo-soprano & Nomin Samdan, piano

All recitals are held at
Bitò Conservatory Building, Performance Space

04/08/2026

Lights, camera… audition 🎥

Last week in Professional Development Workshop, guest lecturer and VAP faculty Ryan McCullough showed the first-years how to create a successful audition recording—sharing insider do’s and don’ts, along with hands-on tips using recording tools and apps.

(And yes—we were allowed to use our phones in this class 🫨)

04/07/2026

Happy Belated Easter to all who celebrate! 🌷🐰🪺

VAP singers out in the wild 🐣
A few of us spent Holy Week and Easter singing together at a local church—one of the many ways we get to collaborate in the Hudson Valley Community!

03/29/2026

Check out the VAP's Spring Break vacations and staycations, from delicious food to hiking and animal sightings!

03/14/2026

This week in Professional Development Workshop taught by Timothy McDevitt, the VAP students spoke with Amber Mundinger, Global Director of Artistic Engagement at L-Acoustics. After hearing about her extensive career which spans the worlds of sports, fashion, and music, we were able to discuss career advancement, new developments in music technology, and Amber’s role in aiding artists creatively and professionally.

03/13/2026

It’s almost Spring Break! Here’s what we’ll be listening to this week:

03/11/2026

Thank you to our incredible audiences, who joined us in-person and online for our VAP Opera Double Bill last weekend! We had a blast performing this show, and we hope you had a blast, too!

03/03/2026

We are so excited to open our opera double bill, "Amelia al ballo" and "Gianni Schicchi", this Friday! Enjoy this behind the scenes peek at some of our characters favorite poses, and don't forget to get tickets! https://tickets.fishercenter.bard.edu/3618