NEW MEMBER WELCOME!
It had been over a year since Fermata Town opened up for auditions but after four members moved on following our jam packed summer, the time had finally come for another round. We were sad to say goodbye to Adam, Tanner, Meg and Katya as they all moved on to new and exciting things. Adam headed out to San Diego, Calif. for grad school while Tanner also started an intense graduate program. Meg relocated for a new position in North Carolina and Katya moved to New York to pursue music fulltime. But as the saying goes, once a Townie, always a Townie so although they’re no longer singing with the group, they’re still a part of our family! With four members leaving, we opened things up for the first time since July of 2012 and were very excited at the overwhelming response we received from interested singers. We received over 50 audition submissions which were about 40 more than we’d received the last time around. The overall level of talent was outstanding and it made our decisions so difficult… difficult to the point where we considered becoming an a cappella chorus and accepting everyone. Ok, so that didn’t really happen but this round of auditions was LOADED with talent and we were really excited to get the opportunity to meet and sing with so many first-class musicians.
The month long process is now complete and Fermata Town is excited to introduce and welcome four new members into our family. Please join us in welcoming Shams Ahmed, Becky Vinci, Ian Janer & Taylor Meltzer to Fermata Town!
Let’s meet the newbies!
Shams Ahmed
A recent graduate of Northeastern University, Shams brings an unprecedented wealth of a cappella knowledge to Fermata Town. At NU, he was the musical director of the Nor’Easters who were crowned the 2013 ICCA Champions as well as winners of the 2012 SoJam Collegiate competition. Shams also works as a consultant for The Vocal Company and runs his own arrangement service.
Becky Vinci
A veteran of the Boston post-collegiate a cappella scene, Becky brings over 10 years of a cappella experience to Fermata Town. After graduating from Stonehill College where she sang with Girls From the Hill, she’s enjoyed singing stints with Vinyl Street, Rift & No Parachute. “Ms. Vinci” is a full time music educator in the Chelsea public school system where she teaches music in the K-4 program.
Ian Janer
A Boston transplant from NYC, Ian is enjoying the Beantown music scene in very good company over at Berklee College of Music where he is studying to “become a pop star”. During his undergrad years at Yale he sang with The Whiffenpoofs and Mixed Company and would also sing with The Lost Keys, a post-collegiate group from New York.
Taylor Meltzer
After graduating from UConn, Taylor moved to Boston to attend a graduate program at the New England College of Optometry. While at UConn she sang with the mixed a cappella group A Minor and served as the group’s President, coordinating several group road trips and lots of other fun aca-things.
Want to see our new members in action? Then get your tickets to our upcoming show in which we’ll be opening up for CLUSTER on October 18 at 9:00 PM at Emmanuel College. This is just the second time CLUSTER has tour in the United States so you don’t want to miss these international aca-superstars. We’ll be joined by our CAL-pals, Redline for an awesome show. Seating is limited so grab a ticket in advance to ensure you’ll be there for the action!
Cheers!
Dan C.