Audition Materials
The Audition
The audition is split up into two parts: a solo section and a technical section. First, the singer must choose one of four, pre-chosen pieces (listed below) to learn and perform for the adjudicators. This solo shall be judged on such details as tone quality, technique, intonation, accuracy, diction, and musicality. Second, the singer must prove his/her technical skills by means of triad/scale singing, melodic dictation, and sight-reading exercises. Please view the audition rubric below for details.
The solo pieces for the 2018-2019 academic year are: Caro mio ben, Pavarotti; I Attempt from Love’s Sickness to Fly, Purcell; Ich liebe dich, Beethoven; and Where’er You Walk, Handel. They can be found in the correct key for your voice part/register linked below. Furthermore, practice tracks are available to aid in the learning of these solos. A piano accompanist will be provided at the audition. If you need help learning one of these solos or want practice with live piano accompaniment, get in contact with the choir’s conductor, Baylee Schütte.
The Solo Section: Links to the Scores
Please make use of the links below to access the scores of this year’s solo pieces as well as audio recordings to help you learn them. You may also require the provided pronunciation guides if you are inexperienced with German or Italian singing diction.
Practice Tracks
The Technical Section
As for the technical part of the audition, it is required that the singer can showcase a few musical fundamentals–standard trials and scales, namely. Accordingly, the major, augmented, minor, and diminished triads as well as the major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales have been notated in a document below for the auditionee’s aid. Similarly, audio tracks of these important technical bits are provided for learning purposes as well. Lastly, practice sight reading exercises can also be found.
The Bottom Line
If you have any questions about the audition process, please contact a member of the committee. Please note that NO PRIOR SINGING EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED. We are happy to help anyone, no matter the skill level, prepare for the audition. Please do not be at all frightened at the requirements.
Auditions will take place in Freshers’ Week and the first two weeks of term (from September 27th to October 10th) at the Old College, South Room 5. Please forward all audition related enquiries to a member of committee.