Classical vocal pros, working the Patchwork Life -- together.
Piecing together a living from many endeavors and wearing many hats is a joyful challenge, but this life makes more sense in a supportive environment. We've built a strong and active network of professional classical vocalists, voice teachers and coaches, choral conductors, and keyboard collaborators / accompanists, and the presenting and training organizations they work with. Our members are screened for training & experience, and we're building connections, with each other and with the world.
Established in 2002, we're based in Southern California, so our job connections are primarily focused in Los Angeles and Orange counties, but extending from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and Santa Monica to Palm Springs. However, our Singerpreneur blog, podcast, coaching and other resources are applicable to classical vocal pros through the US, and we're happy to work with you, wherever you are.
Plenty of public resources will help you get your bearings in a crazy singing world. However, you'll find that our most valuable resources require registration and/or paid membership for access. For options and membership criteria, click here.
How'd we get started?
"The List" was accidentally started by accident, but has continued for nearly two decades with serious purpose. Lauri tells us the story here: One day in December 2002, I got really tired of entering the same thirty-or-so names into the "BCC" field every time I wanted to share an audition notice with my esteemed colleagues. So I created a distribution list in my email program, and named it "Lauri's LA Vocal List", so I knew which list was which. However, I didn't realize at the time that that title was visible every time I sent to the list... Voilà! A list was born. Within weeks, a steady stream of requests started coming in from other singers who wanted to be included. Although there were at least two other active lists in the area, we had more than 100 members within a year, and were getting such a diverse array of applicants that a screening process became absolutely necessary. But while we were not accepting everyone who applied, the List continued to grow. In December 2004, disaster struck. In the course of a major computer upgrade, that distribution list, along with about eight years' worth of email data, was completely lost. The mailing list, all of the support materials, and the screening procedures were carefully rebuilt from scratch, and the group was moved first to Yahoo!, then to an independent website, so none of that would happen again. Other local listholders gave up their lists for various reasons, encouraging members to apply for Lauri's List. Booking activity for church subs, concerts, opera, day jobs and other opportunities started to come together into a useful, centralized resource, and we continued to grow. Our reputation was strong, thanks to the talent and professionalism of our pre-screened members, and by the list's fifth anniversary, the group had grown by more than 1000% with no recruiting or marketing -- only word of mouth. A sense of community has always been the driving force behind this endeavor. A variety of free newsletters and public resources have helped us expand our reach considerably, and we now serve thousands of readers and musicmakers across Southern California. The Singerpreneur blog came into being in 2012, and our offerings have grown and evolved. We now host a variety of local events, workshops, coaching, networking events and services to bring us all closer together.
Let us know if you have questions, or if you're not sure the List is right for you. We live in a very specific niche, but love hearing from all kinds of performers and presenters across the arts community. We'd love to hear from you
 Lauri D Goldenhersh has spent many years performing, teaching and writing about the classical vocal world, and still pursues her mission to serve the arts with her broad experience and solid grounding in grassroots marketing. She founded Lauri's List in 2002, building a strong, multi-faceted community for "classical vocal pros" in Southern California, which now includes the primary website as well as the Singerpreneur blog and podcast.
Lauri’s performance career spanned more than three decades and included Grammy-nominated work with the Los Angeles Master Chorale as well as concerts and recordings with the LA Chamber Singers and a bevy of highly-respected ensembles, composers, presenting organizations and congregations across Southern California and beyond. During that time, she also presented and performed numerous art song recitals, particularly those focused on 20th- and 21st-century repertoire. As an organic extension of that passion, Lauri and Ariel Pisturino co-founded unSUNg concerts in 2013, producing five summer seasons of "Songs Uncommon and New" for enthusiastic local audiences and continuing online through the COVID-19 pandemic. (We'll be back to live performance soon!) As an educator as well as a connector of artists, Lauri has taught workshops and classes for the List and across Southern California, with appearances at University of Southern California, California Institute of the Arts, Azusa Pacific University, LA Vocal Lab, Women Singers Retreat and the Hildegards, as well as a variety of other organizations who cater to performers and artists. Through the List and through her freelance work, Lauri continues to offer coaching and support services for performers and small arts organizations.
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