“Why choral music? Because it allows also this communion of people that dignifies their relationship to one another, as well as to what mankind might be.” -Robert Shaw
Ashley Vance is a soprano vocalist and choral conductor based in Syracuse, New York. Ashley just completed her M.M. Choral Conducting degree at Syracuse University, under the mentorship of Kyra Stahr, Wendy Moy, John Warren, and José “Peppie” Calvar. She also holds a B.M. Vocal Performance degree from Trevecca University in Nashville, Tennessee, awarded in 2020. Currently, Ashley serves as a Voice Instructor at Syracuse University and Hamilton College, Interim Director of Choral Programs at Colgate University, and Music Director at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church. She teaches piano and voice to a small private studio and performs regularly as a soprano soloist.
Ashley is a coloratura soprano who especially enjoys singing Baroque and new music, particularly alongside other choral artists. In March of 2025, she performed as the soprano soloist for the premiere recording of Natalie Draper’s “The Cloths of Heaven,” with the Hendricks Chapel Choir and organist Anne Laver. In June 2026, she collaborated with composer Ivan Malcolm and organist Anne Spink to record Ivan’s new work “It’s So Annoying,” a poem by Angelica Garcia. Additional recent performances include “Tornami a vagheggiar” from Handel’s Alcina in Tallinn, Estonia with Berkshire Choral International (2026), soprano solos from Handel’s Messiah with the chamber ensemble Schola Cantorum in Syracuse, NY (2026), and the role of Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors with the Syracuse University opera workshop under the direction of Klark Johnson (2026).
During her time at Syracuse University, Ashley was a teaching assistant for University Singers, Concert Choir, and Vox Salina, as well as a regular conductor for the Hendricks Chapel Choir. She’s also worked with ensembles including Vox Grata Women’s Choir, the chamber choirs of Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church and Gallatin First United Methodist Church, and the Trevecca University Singers. She recently appeared with Kyra Stahr at the NY-ACDA summer conference for their presentation “Harmonic Leadership: Navigating the Shared Podium.”
As she begins her collegiate teaching career this fall, Ashley will also continue developing her career as a soprano soloist and plans to begin her D.M.A. in Choral Conducting in the fall of 2027.
Ashley Vance 