dʒˈɑːn hˈɛtlənd, ɐ ɹˈɛzᵻdənt ʌv mænhˈæʔn̩, fˈaʊndᵻd ðə ɹˈɛnəsˌɑːns stɹˈiːt sˈɪŋɚz ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti θɹˈiː æz ɐ ɡɹˈuːp ʌv ˈæmətʃɚ sˈɪŋɚz wˈɪlɪŋ tə pɚfˈɔːɹm mjˈuːzɪk ʌvðə ɹˈɛnəsˌɑːns ɪn fɹˈiː kˈɑːnsɚts ˌɔn ˈoʊpən plˈeɪsᵻz ʌv nˈuː jˈɔːɹk sˈɪɾi ˌɔn ɐ ɹˈɛɡjʊlɚ bˈeɪsɪs.
John Hetland, a resident of Manhattan, founded the Renaissance Street Singers in 1973 as a group of amateur singers willing to perform music of the Renaissance in free concerts on open places of New York City on a regular basis.