Songcatchers Appoints Jennifer Lanser as New Executive Director

The Songcatchers Board of Directors recently named Jennifer Lanser as its Executive Director. Lanser’s previous roles include Director of Development and Communications for the Ursulines of the Eastern Province and Executive Director of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce. Lanser will manage day-to-day operations, lead fundraising, marketing and community initiatives, and lead the search for finding a new home for the organization.

Interim Director Angela M. Belsole explains: “I am certain that we have found the right person to work collaboratively with the staff and board to continuously improve our programs and services, enhance our facilities and technological capabilities and broaden our community reach.”

Says Lanser: “I am overjoyed to begin serving my hometown again; expanding and enriching the Songcatchers mission and vision.”

What began as a small school choir in 1978 has become an organization that provides accessible music education, training and enrichment for all children and families in New Rochelle and the surrounding area, which Lanser refers to as “the legacy of [Founder] Sr. Beth Dowd, an Ursuline Sister who sought to reach peace in our community through music.”

About ArtsWestchester

For more than 50 years, ArtsWestchester has been the community’s connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest private not-for-profit arts council in New York State. Its mission is to create an equitable, inclusive, vibrant and sustainable Westchester County in which the arts are integral to and integrated into every facet of life. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich the lives of everyone in Westchester County. ArtsWestchester helps fund concerts, exhibitions and plays through grants; brings artists into schools and community centers; advocates for the arts; and builds audiences through diverse marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations and the community. A two-story gallery is located on the first floor of ArtsWestchester’s historic building on Mamaroneck Avenue. artsw.org