Mission Statement
Collective Voice Lab empowers performing artists through collaborative experimentation, peer mentorship, interdisciplinary training, and artist-driven creation processes that expand the possibilities of vocal performance practice. Our programs include residencies, workshops, and performances that cultivate shared creativity, equitable practices, and the full agency of artists.
Meet the Collective
Melisa Bonetti Luna
Hai-Ting Chinn
Maggie Finnegan
Paul Chwe MinChul An
Steven Hrycelak
Dashon Burton
Jonathan Woody
Michele Kennedy
Kamala Sankaram
Joshua Jeremiah
In addition to being artist members of the CVL, Melisa Bonetti Luna serves as Board President, Hai-Ting Chinn serves as Board Treasurer and Maggie Finnegan serves as Board Secretary.
Executive Consultant
Piper Gunnarson
Our History
Collective Voice Lab began in 2020 as a project of Vital Opera in New York City. Initially called Queens Voice Lab (QVL), the program was rooted primarily in Queens NY with a goal to support vocal artists creatively and financially during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through artist-led initiatives, the program expanded over the next five years to include peer mentorship convenings that have proven to strengthen the careers of the cohort members. As Vital Opera prepares to close its own operations in 2026, 10 cohort members of QVL determined to form a new organization rooted in an ensemble-driven approach.
Transition Status
As of May 2026, Collective Voice Lab is pursuing status as a 501c3 organization. While this process is underway, CVL will be fiscally-sponsored by Vital Opera, a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization. This fiscal sponsorship arrangement will allow Vital Opera to accept and process tax-deductible donations on behalf of CVL and will enable CVL to apply for grant funding that is typically limited to nonprofit organizations. CVL has retained the services of Gunnarson Consulting to provide guidance through this process of forming a new organization.
Collective Voice Lab aims to center vocal artists in all its work, from programming to administration to governance. The founding Board of Directors will include three of CVL's founding cohort members, working alongside an experienced nonprofit arts administrator (Gunnarson Consulting) to guide initial administrative functions as well as pro bono legal counsel to inform incorporation and governance structures. During this first year, we will identify governance structures and by-laws that embody the artist-centered mission of the organization and incorporate board policies that advance our work, including determining the cadence of board terms, identification of board members from other professional sectors, cohort rotations on the board, and board functions.