Auditions

Auditions for new singers, both Volunteer and Professional are typically held at the beginning of each season. Additional audition dates are held throughout the performance season. All auditions are held at Grace Episcopal Church (20 Belvoir Ave. ) Please fill out the form below for more information and to be notified of the next audition date.

A group of nine singers, six women and three men, perform on stage with sheet music, directed by a conductor in front, in a concert hall with wooden acoustic panels and empty seats behind them.

Volunteer Chorus Audition Requirements

The Chattanooga Bach Choir is primarily comprised of volunteer singers. We are looking for singers who sing with healthy and controlled vibrato, read music confidently and accurately, prepare music independently, and value blend, precision, and ensemble singing. Volunteer candidates are asked to prepare:

  1. A sostenuto, piano-accompanied aria of your choice, OR a hymn (preferably a hymn arr. by Bach, in English or German). Please provide a copy for the accompanist. The purpose of this is to hear your voice with music in which you are very comfortable and will demonstrate the quality and tone of your voice.

  2. Your voice part to “And He Shall Purify” from Handel’s Messiah. The purpose of this is to determine your flexibility at a fast tempo. Please sing as close to quarter note = 108 as you can. A copy of this music will be provided when your audition is scheduled.

  3. Exercise #4 “Sigh the Tone” (first half only) from the book Sing Legato. A copy of this music will be provided when your audition is scheduled.

  4. Testing of your vocal range.

  5. Interval memory and pitch matching.

  6. Sight read a chorale and rhythmic exercise.

The Bach Choir performs a varied repertoire featuring music from the Renaissance to the present, including works for multiple choirs (including Tallis, Allegri, Schütz, Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Whitacre), as well as Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil and Bach’s Mass in B minor, among others. Singers who are selected to perform with the Bach Choir may also be invited to participate in our Bach Cantata series (in whole or in part). Substitute/extra singers are also chosen and are often invited to sing in our larger Masterworks concerts.

Soloist & Professional Chorus Audition Requirements

The Chattanooga Bach Choir sets the highest artistic standards for its professional members and soloists. These members are considered leaders within the ensemble and are expected to perform as such. Auditions for soloist and professional choir members can be done in person (bring a copy for the accompanist) or electronically. Candidates are asked to prepare:

  1. An aria by J.S. Bach.

  2. Your voice part to the “cum sancto spiritu” fugue from the Bach Mass in B Minor (mm. 37-63, Bärenreiter measure numbering), with accompaniment. The purpose of this exercise is to determine your flexibility at a very fast tempo. Please sing the passage as close to quarter note = 112 as you can. All sopranos should do soprano 1. A copy of this music will be provided when your audition is scheduled.

  3. Please bring a printed copy of your resume if attending a live audition.

  4. Please include audition links and attach your resume to the form below.

Audition Form