Audition Information

Come along, listen, enjoy, join in our warm up and oberve how we rehearse. You'll be given our visitor folder with all the music we're singing. Meet the MD, Chair, Membership secretary and other members of the chorus.

We hope you enjoyed your first week. Before you come again next week, we would like to hear a recording of your singing voice. Using our dedicated page on our website, submit a 30 second recording for review by our MD. This recording can be of any song that you feel fits your natural voice and should be unaccompanied. You could sing the beginning, a section in the middle or the end of the song. It doesn't need to be a whole song. Our MD will provide feedback within a couple of days and will give advice about the next audition steps. (In rare cases the MD may say that perhaps an audition is not for you.) Following successful review you will be given access to the members area of our website where you can access and download our audition song. 

Come back to the next rehearsal, meet with the MD and one of our Section Leaders for 10 minutes, who will complete the assessment of your voice, using the recording you submitted and it will focus on your range and vocal quality. The purpose is to assign you to a particular voice part (Tenor, Lead, Baritone or Bass). The MD will explain the audition process and discuss our audition song - please bring a copy of the audition song music with you. Following this short session you will be back in the chorus where you will continue to listen, enjoy and join in a bit more. 

Come back each week, enjoy and join in more. You will work on learning the audition song at home during this time, and at each rehearsal you will spend dedicated time with your voice part section leader. During this period there is a requirement to submit progress recordings of your audition song via the website so that your section leader can provide feedback. You will review this progress together each week.

This is audition week. Join the chorus for a warm up before spending time with your section leader preparing for your audition. Auditions take place away from the chorus and are recorded in order to provide the most accurate feedback possible. 

Your audition should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete..

There are three options available which your section leader will guide you through;
1. Sing the audition song with a live quartet, with support from your own section leader and probably including the other section leaders. They will sing their voice part and you will sing your voice part.
2. Sing the audition song to the 'part missing' learning track and have support from your section leader.
3. Video record yourself singing at home with the 'part missing' learning track and submit via the website.

Options 2 and 3 are only available at the discretion of your section leader. 

Once you have sung the song our MD may provide immediate feedback and/or coaching where parts of the song may be heard again. 

The audition result and feedback will be emailed to you within 48 hours. 

In order to pass our audition we ask each prospective member to demonstrate the following:

• Excellent attendance
• Respond to feedback in a positive and timely manner
• Submit progress recordings in between rehearsals
• Sing with a high degree of musical accuracy from memory
• Sing with a pleasant vocal quality - nerves are natural and will be taken into account

Very quickly, normally within two days, we’ll let you know your audition result. If you pass, our Membership Secretary will welcome you as a full singing member and help with the formalities: membership forms, monthly subs, and acknowledging “Our Purpose, Living Our Purpose and Member Guidelines” which are important documents which reflect the GWC’s culture.

You’ll receive full access to our members’ website and repertoire, and your section leader will agree your first song with you. We expect this to be signed off and performance-ready within five weeks, with dedicated support from your section leader and performance lead.

Like every member, you’ll submit a recording of each song for assessment before performing it. It’s not as daunting as it sounds. It simply helps ensure we’re all singing to the same standard.

If for reasons which we will explain you have not passed your audition, that's OK. Not everyone passes first time.

You will receive specific guidance on how to be successful for your second audition. If you are able to respond positively to these instructions and demonstrate improvement in your next audition you will pass.

Second auditions take place the week following your first audition.

If however, there is not enough improvement then this will sadly signal the end of your journey with the chorus.