The New York Choral Society is a welcoming and diverse community of singers, and we are always looking to add talented voices to our chorus!
Our members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and musical experiences. If you love to sing and are passionate about sharing the essential joy and power of live choral music, we want you to join us!
Auditioning for our chorus
Thank you for your interest in auditioning for our chorus. Our audition season is currently closed. If you would like to be considered for when our auditions reopen, please read the FAQs below and fill out a member interest form at the bottom of this page. For any additional questions, please reach out to us via auditions@nychoral.org.
What are NYCHORAL’s audition requirements?
For your audition with Music Director David Hayes, please bring one song of your choosing, not to exceed three minutes in length. This can include; an art song, aria, musical theater piece, or popular song. Please plan to bring a copy of your music for our pianist.
David Hayes will then lead you through some vocal exercises to assess your range (I.e. where your voice ‘lives’) and your general vocal qualities. You’ll also be asked to sing a short sight-reading selection and a rhythm-reading exercise.
The audition itself is brief – you will be scheduled for a fifteen minute time slot, but your audition will be between five and ten minutes. There is no application fee.
Do you hold virtual auditions?
At this time, we are not holding virtual auditions in lieu of live auditions.
What do we look for?
We look for passionate, diligent, and excited musicians with experience singing within a choral ensemble. We work quickly, and some of our projects are on a shorter rehearsal schedule; therefore, while formal training is not necessary, some level of musical skill is highly desirable.
When and where are rehearsals?
Rehearsals are mostly on Tuesday nights from 7:00-9:30 pm between September and May, and are held on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Depending on the program, occasional extra rehearsals may be added as necessary. Performance weeks do have more intense production schedules, with some additional nightly rehearsals.
What does a typical season schedule look like?
As a past reference, here is a sample schedule for our 2023-2024 season. Our season is a mix of NYCHORAL-produced concerts and guest appearances. Not all singers perform on every program. We occasionally rotate singers from program to program across the year, balancing singer capacity with artistic needs.
Do I have to sing every concert?
Singers are expected to participate in all NYCHORAL-produced performances (typically 2-3 per season.) Guest appearances occasionally have smaller rosters, and these performance opportunities for singers are determined on a per-program basis. In these instances, individual singer assignments are weighed against artistic needs and singer availability.
What is your absence policy?
We take rehearsal attendance very seriously. Consistent attendance and participation by all members is crucial, as our work together is not just about learning notes, but about crafting our sound and artistic interpretation as an ensemble.
Attendance is taken at all rehearsals. Members are expected to attend rehearsals in their entirety, including warm-up, and should arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of rehearsal.
Members are expected to attend at least 80% of the designated rehearsals for any given concert. Any member who attends fewer than 80% of rehearsals will be required to participate in a Music Review to determine if they will be allowed to participate in the performance. Some performances have an extremely abbreviated rehearsal schedule; in these instances, singers may be required to attend all rehearsals in order to sing the performance. Eligibility of any member to sing in a concert is at the discretion of the Music Director.
Do members pay dues?
All members are asked to pay Member Dues to NYCHORAL in the amount of $225. Your payment is due via our online payment system before September 3rd, 2024. Dues help pay for venues, instrumentalists, soloists and all the other costs of our season. If you would like to request a reduction in dues, please email Membership Chair Kaila Barker, at kbarker@nychoral.org, by September 3rd. Requesting a reduction in dues does not affect consideration for membership in our ensemble. If an agreement is made for a reduced dues amount, we would be grateful for your volunteer assistance for projects throughout the year.
Do members have a ticket obligation?
No – however, we would be grateful if each NYCHORAL member would consider purchasing or selling at least five tickets for the November 2024 concert and the May 2025 concert.
Tickets bought or sold by our members come with a discount off of regular box office prices. Your support with our ticket sales allows us to provide free or low-cost concert tickets to our Community Engagement partner schools and organizations. Even if you aren’t singing in a concert, your continued support in purchasing or selling tickets would be greatly appreciated so we can continue providing opportunities to share our performances with the community.