Posted November 9, 2025
by Kimberly Brody, Executive Director
I am thrilled to introduce Ars Nova Singers’ newly formed Artistic Advisory Committee – a group of community supporters with an interest in helping shape the future of Ars Nova Singers.
Inspired by board member Beth Etter, professional chamber musician, educator, and pianist with the Erie (PA) Philharmonic, the Ars Nova Singers Artistic Advisory Committee (AAC) was formed this past summer. The purpose of the Committee is to involve many different interested individuals in the planning and suggestion of future Ars Nova programming with a goal of increasing community interest and attendance at our concerts. So far the Committee has met twice and had lively discussion about a number of suggested works for Tom to consider. Future discussions will continue to include specific works as well as potential collaborations and community connections.
I met up with Beth to learn more about her experience with the Erie Philharmonic’s Artistic Advisory Committee, and why she thought it would be such a wonderful addition to Ars Nova’s activities.
Kim Brody: First, I’d like to share with our readers that Beth and I have been friends and musical colleagues since we were in our 20s and performed the hauntingly beautiful “Two Rhapsodies” for oboe, viola, and piano by Alsatian-American composer Charles Loeffler at a music festival in western Pennsylvania. We have maintained a close friendship, despite our physical distance, throughout the years. Beth continues to play professionally, and has been a member of the Erie Philharmonic’s Artistic Advisory Committee for 4 years. We invited her to become a member of the Ars Nova Singers board and she has brought brilliant knowledge and insights, including the unanimously and enthusiastically approved creation of our own AAC.
Beth, would you please share what inspires you about the concept of a community-driven AAC?
Beth Etter: The AAC acts like an engine behind the curtain of the performing organization. On stage are the musicians and the artistic director (maestro/conductor) and in the administrative office is the connection between the stage and the community. The potential to create ideas, to stimulate energy between all the components of the organization, and to learn from each other is huge.
I serve on several boards, all for performing arts organizations. But never have I been a part of a committee so loyal, and so excited to show up at meetings as the Artistic Advisory Committee of my beloved orchestra! The committee includes several musicians, the ED, our Maestro, a few staff from the Erie Phil, the classical music broadcaster at NPR, and a few audience members. The list the Committee compiled of works to consider for the orchestra to perform was so long that it took a couple of years to get through it! Before each meeting we listened to multiple musical selections, and in doing so we learned what others were inspired by and had suggested as works to consider. Then we discussed the merits of each work and why or why not it could be good for our audience. It was like being part of a first-rate music history or listening course while getting to learn from other great minds.
I thought that having an AAC could brilliantly enhance the amazing work Ars Nova already does consistently and the broad community connections that are already established.
KB: Members of the committee include Tom, Beth, myself, and 10 other community members who appreciate and support what we do. Our current members include singers, composers, professional musicians, business people, and entrepreneurs. We have several members who join us from out of state who love what ANS does and want to contribute.
Beth, can you give our readers some insight into how the Artistic Advisory Committee works? What is its purpose? How long has the Erie Phil had an AAC and how has it impacted programming and attendance?
BE: The Erie Phil AAC has met approximately 7 or 8 times per year until the current season when we will meet every other month. The Orchestra now has a new ED, and because we completed our survey of both symphonic works and repertoire for our Pops series, the AAC now has a new job. We review and discuss each concert at length, and with each upcoming concert we are asked to design community collaborations that could enhance the experience of each concert for our audience. So the focus of the group has now extended beyond its original purpose.
KB: How many of the works the Committee has suggested have actually been programmed? How have you seen the Erie community impacted by the work of the AAC? How has the organization as a whole been influenced by the work of the AAC?
BE: I believe the AAC in Erie has been in existence for at least a decade, and has changed in numbers and in profiles of participants over the years. In years past, there were no musicians-now there are 3 of us. Though data to determine concrete numbers of audience members recruited through the AAC would be very hard to determine, there is no doubt the influence is felt and appreciated. The energy of the group is infectious in the community. All of us spread the word. We wait to be the first to have the privilege of seeing the season repertoire, and you can imagine what we feel when we see so many of our suggestions come to fruition-which, according to our Maestro, 50% of them do! And even better, imagine what it’s like when we see those concerts sell out! This, above all else, is most telling about the effects of the group. The majority of symphonic and pops concerts are sold out: something most orchestras across the country cannot boast.
KB: How do you see the AAC benefitting Ars Nova Singers?
BE: Behind every organization there is a cast of characters that create the tone, the vibe – chemistry, basically. Sometimes it’s hard to say exactly what it is, but I think there is some magic to it, and I believe Ars Nova Singers has that magic. With the AAC, and the participants’ experience helping shape the future of the organization, that magic can be more deeply tapped into. The beauty of the AAC is that it is completely non-threatening; no one is territorial about what they are offering. Everyone is there for one reason: to support and to help build the organization they so love. I feel certain that the AAC will just help that magic survive and thrive.
KB: Thank you, Beth! We’re so happy to have you on our Board!
When we decided to move forward with creating this committee, we invited several people from our local community, and the greater musical community that extends far and wide, to join us. Here are two members from Boulder who share what inspired them to join in this initiative.
Echo Steers joined the Artistic Advisory Committee for Ars Nova because they believe in the quiet magics of art — the way a performance can spark wonder, music can open hearts, and a shared experience can weave community together. Inspired by the creativity that pulses through Boulder, they are passionate about supporting artists illuminating our world and inviting us to see it anew. For Echo, art is a path for change work, and being part of Ars Nova is an opportunity to help nurture imagination, connection, and the living spirit of community that thrives on curiosity and creativity.
Echo is a neurodistinct improvisational singer who loves the creative language of embodiment as aliveness and freedom to be one’s own magical being.
gReg Silvus 
shares, “Although music has been a part of my life since elementary school and choral music has always had a special place in my heart, I’m pretty late to the learn-how-to-sing table. The combination of learning more about singing and staying active with the donor side of music and dance programs in Boulder made me want to have an artistic voice in Ars Nova. My “day job” is my philanthropic company, UltraVioletIdea, which provides artists a stipend to collaborate with me to generate online art and to keep me learning.”