Chorale is currently hearing new singer auditions for the 2021-2022 season. As usual, we will hear auditions for all four sections. After a year of singing remotely, on Zoom, we have finally been able to meet in person, and actually rehearse, ensemble, the repertoire we have prepared on our own for our videos, these past twelve months. These meetings have been so exhilarating for the current members! We will rehearse for a few more weeks, then break for the summer, and prepare for the return of normalcy in the Fall.
As happens every year, we have had to say goodbye to members whose circumstances have changed, or who are moving away— in several cases, had already moved away, but were able to join us weekly via Zoom, from Hawaii, New Orleans, Cleveland, San Francisco, St. Paul— there are a few pluses to the pandemic. So we have some openings.
What sort of singer does Chorale want?
We want singers with excellent pitch memory and interval recognition, and sufficient technique to sing consistently in tune, without distortion or uncontrolled vibrato. We want singers with innate, comfortable rhythmic sense, who feel the rise and fall of the musical phrase and know, confidently, naturally, when to get in, when to get out.
We want singers who are confident enough that they are free to listen to the rest of the choir, rather than focus solely on their own singing. We want them to be able to “listen louder than they sing.”
We want singers who read music fluently—or, lacking that, read it well enough that they can, and will, work out problems on their own, and arrive at rehearsal far enough along that they can keep up with better readers.
Chorale wants singers who are unafraid of language, and will prepare foreign languages (with coaching in rehearsals)on their own, and be able to contribute to the choir’s efforts, rather than be in need of constant correction. Language is the singer’s greatest single gift , the thing that sets the singer apart from the instrumentalist and makes the vocal art special and irreplaceable. Chorale cares a great deal about language.
Chorale wants singers who commit themselves to regular, prompt participation. Tardiness and spotty attendance really drag a group down, inject an element of disrespect for the music, for the group, for the conductor. Along with this—Chorale wants singers who respect and admire one another, who are happy to work together, to face the same direction, listen to one another, and produce a unified product.
We want singers who are drawn to the music we program—who are moved, challenged, stimulated by great musical literature.
I purposefully leave vocal quality to last. Yes, Chorale wants good voices, with interesting color and dynamic possibilities. But we care somewhat more about the musician, than about the singer—we want our singers to place their voices at the service of the music, of the composer, of the ensemble, more than at the service of an abstract standard of vocal production. We want our singers to love their voices; we want them to love music even more.
Contact us, at chicagochorale@gmail.com, if you’d like to schedule an audition. I’d love to meet and hear you!
