Innovative New Website for Chanteuses

I monitor websites of all the choruses in the greater Sacramento area, and there’s only one I would give an A+ rating to – Chanteuses’ recently redesigned site at www.chanteuses.org. Here are some of the features that make the site stand out, aside from the bright colorful images and clean design throughout:

• Everything you might need or want to know (or that they might want you to know) is clearly and briefly presented on the home page – without clutter: the schedule of upcoming concerts, a news feed, CD information, a rotating “billboard” of items they want to highlight, etc.
• The home page has links to the principal parts of the site at the top, where you would expect it. But the footer at the bottom of every page has not only those links, but contact information, and a link to sign up for their e-newsletter (managed by Constant Contact).
• One of my favorite features is the page devoted to the 18 singers and their music director. There is a head shot identifying each person by name, and when you click on their picture or name, you get a bio, plus links for e-mail, their Facebook page and any other contact point they might have wanted to make public.
• To promote their professionally produced Christmas CD, they have provided 30-second samples of each track.
• There is a page of their history, a concert page that lists events through the end of the year (with a link to reviews), a donation page, and a page that highlights their patrons.

Of course, the challenge in any website is keeping it current and providing new interest, so Chanteuses has carved out a bit of extra work for someone in the organization. But the introduction of this site has raised the bar for the sites of small choruses in our area.