Auditioning for the Santa Clara Chorale

Rehearsals

The Santa Clara Chorale rehearses every Monday evening, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Santa Clara. See the rehearsal schedule in the Singer Information section for rehearsal dates.

Dress rehearsals are held on the Wednesday evening prior to every performance.
These rehearsals are mandatory.
 

Audition Process

The Chorale is always looking for good singers of every cultural background who are interested in exploring new and traditional choral music. New member auditions continue throughout the year. If you are interested in auditioning or have any questions, please call 408-535-8636 or e-mail. You will be contacted by the Chorale manager who will answer your questions and/or set up an audition appointment.

After the appointment has been made, the auditioning singer will meet with the Artistic Director. No advance song preparation is necessary, as the Artistic Director will provide all music from which to sing. The Artistic Director is looking for singers with good sight-reading skills and vocal proficiency with regards to diction, rhythm and intonation, pitch, and tone. Please do not be intimidated by this audition process, we try to make it very relaxed and fun, in line with our choir’s personality.
 

Attendance Policy

The attendance policy is in force to ensure the quality of the Chorale’s performance. Adherence to the policy is a sign of professionalism and respect to the other members of the Chorale. The rehearsal periods are provided to allow each member time to learn the music and to improve their performance. All members of the Chorale are expected to adhere to the attendance policy.

Attendance is tracked by the section leaders for each vocal part. For each concert period only three absences are permitted. Two or three absences -- you will be responsible for attending a performance check. Four or more absences -- you will not be allowed to sing in the concert.

A tardy of more than 15 minutes will be considered an absence. If you are more than 15 minutes late, you may still participate in the rehearsal for your own benefit, but know that you will be marked absent. If you know you will be absent or late, please contact your section lead.

If during the course of rehearsals serious conflicts arise, contact the Artistic Director for his advice.

Financial Commitments

Membership dues are $175 for the season and due at the time of the first rehearsal. Music is purchased by each member. The cost is approximately $75.00 for the year or an average of $25 per concert. However, there are scholarships available for those for which purchasing music or paying dues will be an undue hardship and may perhaps prevent from singing in the Chorale. We want everyone to participate so please do not let the financial commitment prevent you from joining us. Each spring the Chorale participates in the Arts Council Silicon Valley's Music and Arts campaign. The campaign is an annual fundraising event that brings together diverse arts organizations throughout the Bay Area in a unified annual fundraising campaign. The Arts Council provides the Chorale with administrative support in collecting donors’ gifts. All we have to do is provide the donors. We hope that all members of the Chorale will support the Music and Arts campaign through the giving of time and money in support of the Chorale.
 

Concert Dress

Standard concert dress for most programs is dress black. For women, the uniform black choir outfit (skirt, shell and jacket), black stockings and shoes and costs approximately $100; for men, tuxedo, with tux shirt and studs, tie and cummerbund, black shoes and socks.

Thank you for your interest in the Santa Clara Chorale. If you have any questions, we would love to speak with you.

For the hundreds of singers who have participated in the performance of great choral music, and the thousands who have heard the Santa Clara Chorale sound in concert, there is no question about the human appetite for the inspiration of the spirit provided by the performance of great music. Singers and audiences alike know the electricity of those moments when voices and listeners connect and the magic of musical composition comes alive. Wherever the next phase of our musical journey takes us, members of the Santa Clara Chorale will continue to share the joy of singing with each other and the community around us. We hope you will join us!