Our Mission

The VTones is an a cappella vocal ensemble that entertains and enriches audiences with music from a surprising range of styles, all celebrating the human spirit.  

Our Vision

The VTones is a performing ensemble rooted in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont. Our singers are experienced as soloists as well as contributors to the group’s complex and exhilarating harmonies.  We perform our music with passion, skill and lively presentation. As demand for our style of music grows, we could bring our live music to all of Vermont and New Hampshire and beyond. We can perform in a concert hall, as well as in the community-at-large through appearances at festivals, fairs, community centers, and other events.

Singers – What to Expect

About the Music

• A cappella music – We sing unaccompanied music that we and our audiences enjoy.

• Many genres – Pop, American songbook, jazz, Broadway, spirituals, classical, world music

• Core repertoire – We maintain singer and audience favorites ready for performances as opportunities arrive.

• New Repertoire – We continually develop new songs to keep performances fun, fresh and interesting for singers and audiences.

• Song Selection - Every singer is encouraged to suggest (or create) new arrangements and bring charts to rehearsal to try out.  Group discussion and consensus are used to grow and modify our repertoire.

• Other A Cappella Groups and Arrangers we like – The King Singers, The Swingles, The Real Group, Anuna, and arrangers Deke Sharon, Moses Hogan, Darmon Meader, Ben Bram, Gene Puerling and many more.  We also do some of our own arrangements.

About the Singers

• Eight singers is the goal – Two each of SATB, depending on available talent and interest

• Experienced ensemble singers – Singers should be able to sing challenging harmonies in a choral setting with attention to tuning, blend and a unified, pleasing group sound.

• Independent singers – Singers should be able to sing their parts without relying on other group members.

• Every singer must be a performer, able to deliver a song’s message and engage an audience not only with their voice but through their facial expressions, hands and body.

• Plusses:

  • Sight reading is a plus but not essential.  We support each other during and outside rehearsals to help everyone learn new repertoire.

  • Solo singing.  We encourage but do not require every singer to step in front of the group and perform solos on songs that match their interest and ability.

  • Genre specialists - We love “genre lovers” who can add their own musical passion to the group repertoire and sound.

About Our Performances

• Memorized music – We do not use sheet music when we perform.

• Minimal direction – We learn to interpret our songs well enough so we can perform without a director most of the time.  We rely on listening to each other and our experience with the material to synchronize, blend and perform as a unit.

• Frequency - We decide as a group how often and where we want to perform.

• Performance Venues –  Woodstock Town Hall, Anonymous Coffeehouse, Parish Players, Shaker Bridge Theater, DHMC, UVMC, senior living communities, public parks, places of worship, and more….

Rehearsals

• Weekly rehearsals on Monday nights, usually from 7pm-9pm

• Location: At ensemble members’ homes, most often in Quechee, VT, but venue can move to other locations as needed

Group Operation

• Very lightweight – A basic assumption is we are all busy adults without much time to spend on administering a choral group.

• Money – Earning money is not a goal, but a welcome outcome.  Singers should keep their day jobs!  Earned money will hopefully offset costs for music, marketing, venue fees, and an eventual PA system and other gear as needed.

• Eventual 501c(3) (non-profit) status and fund raising will be considered.

About Group Founder (Pat Autilio)

Taking the initial role as group organizer, Pat has experience with running various choral groups over the years.  He started singing a cappella in the barbershop style but has appeared in a variety of choral, quartet and solo settings.  He also has created arrangements for the groups he’s sung with and has completed Contemporary Vocal Arranging at Berklee College of Music.  Pat currently sings Bass 1 with the Thetford Chamber Singers.