audition for the choir!

Are you an avid choral singer?

Has the Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil
long been on your bucket-list
but you never had the chance to sing it?

Have you sung it before
but would love to sing it again?

Sign up for an audition through the form below -
auditions will be held on Tuesday, January 9
in the hour before our first Rachmaninoff rehearsal at 7:30.

If you are interested in auditioning for the Choral Society, please submit the audition request form at the bottom of this page.

Interested singers are invited (no appointment needed!) to see if the Choral Society might be the right fit for you by quietly stopping in during any Tuesday evening rehearsal during our regular season (September - May) from 7:30-10 at Lenape Valley Presbyterian Church, 321 W Butler Ave, New Britain, PA 18901. 

For audio and video clips of Choral Society performances, click here.

For repertoire of past seasons, click here.

We hold auditions throughout the year by appointment. To arrange an audition with the Choral Society, please contact us via the Audition Form at the bottom of this page. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are required.

If you are having trouble with the Audition Form, please make your request by leaving a message for the Auditions Coordinator at 215-230-3836. Qualified applicants will be contacted directly to make an audition appointment.

Expectations for prospective singers:

• sufficient fluency in music reading to be able to learn music independently and not exclusively by ear (plentiful study aids will be supplied for each concert!)

• preferably two years of recent experience singing in a community, school, or church choir that regularly performs classical style repertoire;

• availability for weekly Tuesday night rehearsals (7:30-10:00pm) from September through June at Lenape Valley Presbyterian Church, located at 321 West Butler Avenue in New Britain, PA

• Attendance policy: we ask that singers miss no more than 2 rehearsals per concert; however we know that many singers have jobs and families that make life complicated. Should you need to miss more than 2 rehearsals for a concert, just check in with your section leader so he/she can make sure you have the support and resources you need to learn the music.

• Dues and expenses: The Choral Society has a long-standing policy of waiving dues and other fees for singers who find themselves in a challenging financial situation (they may confidentially request such help through the Choir President or Vice President). Annual dues are $150 ($75 for singers joining after the Christmas concerts) and singers are asked to purchase their own music and standard concert attire (currently a black dress or black tuxedo).

Auditions are informal and relaxed! Singers can expect to be asked to:

• vocalizing up and down your range on a simple five-note scale (vi----ah----i)

• sing tonal memory exercises (listening to 4-note melodies on the piano and then singing them back accurately)

• do some simple sight-reading

• performing a song, aria, or hymn of your choice

Qualified current high school juniors and seniors are welcome to audition for BCCS, but only with the approval of their school choir director and certification that the BCCS schedule would not conflict with their school choir's schedule.

COVID Protocol for Singers

Choral Society rehearsals became mask-optional as of January 2023. BCCS no longer requires proof of COVID vaccination. As always, Choir Council urges singers to follow the CDC guidelines and their doctor's recommendations for keeping themselves and others healthy and safe with up-to-date vaccinations, masking, regular testing, and isolating when sick. We continue to take precautions such as using enhanced ventilation and increased distance between chairs in our rehearsal space. Masks and hand sanitizer are provided at rehearsals for those that wish to use them.

We understand and expect that this policy is subject to review and change at any time.

Susan McDonnell, Choir President
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