AUDITIONS
Auditions for the 2026-27 season will be offered in the evening on Sunday, August 30 for tenor and bass voice parts ONLY at this time.
Please use this Interest Form to arrange an audition time for that date.
The Interest Form can also be used for other voice parts to be contacted by our personnel chair in the future.
The Frederick Chorale embraces the philosophy that communication in performance is facilitated primarily through beautiful choral tone that is achieved through healthy, expressive singing. Rehearsals are a laboratory in which the singers absorb the music and learn healthy singing habits that are the foundation of an expressive performance.
We seek confident singers who are capable and comfortable in a fast-paced learning environment and are willing to commit the necessary personal time to be prepared for all rehearsals and performances. Our audition process is comprehensive in scope. It is intended to discover the musical strengths of each candidate and to determine if the candidate will be an appropriate fit for the ensemble. We do not expect every candidate will be equally strong in all areas that are evaluated, but that they are capable of self-assessment and self-improvement where needed.
Rehearsals are held in Braddock Heights on Sunday evenings. Members are expected to attend 80% of rehearsals leading up to concerts, and the last three rehearsals prior to a concert are mandatory.
Audition Process
1. Prepared solo: Perform a prepared solo of the candidate’s personal choice: It should be a song that the candidate knows well and can perform with ease. It may be performed with piano accompaniment or may be sung a cappella. The candidate must bring a printed score for any music that requires piano accompaniment. A piano accompanist will be provided.
Objective: To determine the candidate’s level of musicianship on music of their own choosing.
2. Rhythmic sight singing: The candidate will be provided with printed music, without a melody, showing only common rhythms in a variety of meter signatures.
Objective: To determine the candidate’s ability to accurately articulate rhythmic values at a given tempo.
3. Melodic sight singing: The candidate will be provided a printed melody in a major key that conforms to their vocal range.
4. Aural recall: Repeating (singing back) a melodic phrase that is introduced on the piano, then repeated without piano accompaniment.
Objective: Pitch acuity and accuracy of musical memory.
5. Harmonic awareness: Repeating (singing back) all the pitches of a three-part chord that is played on the piano.
Objective: To determine the candidate’s ability to hear and sing back particular pitches of a given harmony, which is fundamental to holding one’s own part in choral singing.
6. Quartet singing: The candidate will sing their part in a quartet setting involving the section leaders of The Frederick Chorale. The song will be a well-known choral piece chosen by the director.
Objective: To determine the candidate’s ability to hold their own part and to sing in a manner that blends well with the other voices of the quartet.