Princeton Choir Auditions

What do I need to prepare?

Whilst you can certainly ‘practice’ for your audition, and we hope that the information below will help you do this, you don’t need to prepare anything or bring anything at all. Your choral audition will consist of:

  1. A variety of vocal exercises

  2. Ear training exercises (more on this below)

  3. Collaborative learning exercises, including a little sight-reading

I’ve never auditioned for a choir before. What do all those words mean?

Vocalizing is just singing patterns of notes, normally on a simple vowel sound. These could be in rising or falling steps, or a combination of both, or perhaps some intervals. In every case, you will hear a demonstration of the exercise first. 

Ear Training Exercises fall into three main sections. Firstly, you’ll be asked to isolate pitches heard on the piano (you can practice this by simply playing two random notes on a keyboard without looking, and trying to sing them both). Secondly, you’ll be asked to pitch intervals by singing a note at a certain interval against a note heard on the piano – for example, a perfect 5th above. (If you’d like a 5-minute crash course on how intervals work, this youtube video is fantastic!). Finally, you’ll be asked to repeat one or two melodies after hearing them on the piano. 

Collaborative learning gives you a chance to work on something you don’t know, in collaboration with your auditioners. You’ll be shown a simple piece of music, and we’ll sing it through together (in unison) so that you feel comfortable with it. Then we will divide into parts, and rehearse the same passage of music as a 3-voice ensemble. After this, we will then continue into an unrehearsed part of the piece, so that you can demonstrate your sight-reading skills. 

When are auditions?

Our formal audition process is typically held at the beginning of the fall semester during the first week of classes.

I’m eager to fill my plate with as much singing as soon as possible. How can I do this?

When you fill out your online audition form, you can indicate which choirs you’d be interested in singing in – as much as your schedule will allow! For those interested in Chamber Choir, after everyone has been placed for Glee Club and Playhouse Choir, interested singers will be invited to attend callbacks for Chamber Choir, which are in the form of a short one-voice-per-part rehearsal. With few exceptions, all first-years and sophomores who want to sing in Chamber Choir must also sing in Glee Club.

I hate sight-reading! Should I still audition?

YES! Whilst good sight-reading is very useful and it can help you to enjoy group singing for your whole life, it’s just one small part of the picture. There are lots of different levels of reading within our choirs and you’ll meet plenty of students who feel the same way you do. Please audition!

I got placed in a choir, but not the one I requested. What does that mean?

We do our best to accommodate everyone – but of course, our choir memberships are dictated by room capacity and by the need for balance between sections, so it is inevitable that not everybody will find themselves in the choir they prefer. The good news is that choir membership can be quite fluid; and if any student needs to step away from their choir for any reason, we will invite another student to fill that spot.

Does this audition count for Chapel Choir as well?

No— the wonderful PU Chapel Choir has its own audition process. Learn more here. 

I want to sing in choir but can’t make all the rehearsals. Is that ok?

Attendance is a mandatory component of all our choirs. If you have an immovable conflict (academic, athletic, artistic or otherwise), let us know and we can explore our options. 

I’m really good at [insert instrument here]. Could I sing in choir and play in PUO(rchestra)?

Though PUO and Glee Club rehearse at the same time, plenty of students are able to both sing and play on campus. Audition for the choral department and orchestral department, see what happens, and then ask us to help you manage the conflict.

Can I sing in Glee Club, Playhouse, Chapel Choir, a cappella, opera, vocal jazz, musical theater, AND Chamber Choir?

You are welcome to sing as much as you can manage while remaining happy, healthy, and academically afloat. Many students enjoy completely filling their plate with singing, though it will not be expected of you.