Choir Auditions for Fall 2025

Welcome! We are excited to make music together. Here is the information you need to prepare for your fall choral experience.

New Student Auditions

  • Sign up for an audition time at the Conservatory Welcome Table during Welcome Week.
  • New Student Audition Dates
    Wednesday, September 10:  9:00am - 1:00pm
    Thursday, September 11:  9:00am - 1:00pm
    Friday, September 12:  9:00am - 11:00am
  • Audition Location:  West Campus 217 (Dr. Phillip Swan's office)
  • Please fill out the .
  • Audition will also include: sight-reading (rhythmic and melodic), voicing, and aural acuity assessment.
  • Consideration for Cantala or Concert Choir:
    1)  Prepare this (start in the 3rd measure of the first system, right where it says 鈥渃hor鈥 and sing to the end of the page)
    2)  Bjorklunden retreat (at Lawrence's beautiful Door County campus) is required, and will be September 19-21, 2025.
    3)  You will be expected to be placed into Cantala or Concert Choir for the entire year (unless approved PRIOR to your audition by the conductors). The educational goals and community building extends longitudinally.
  • Want to join Viking Chorale? Great! Just arrange a short meeting with Dr. Gravelle (shannon.gravelle@lawrence.edu) so she can check your voice;  it鈥檚 not an audition, but a chance to get to know your voice.

Returning Student Auditions (if you were away in the spring)

  • Sign up for a time (details coming soon)
  • Returning Student Audition Date:  Monday, September 15 (Times TBD)
  • Audition Location:  West Campus 217 (Dr. Phillip Swan's office)
  • Please fill out the .
  • Audition will also include: sight-reading (rhythmic and melodic), voicing, and aural acuity assessment.
  • Consideration for Cantala or Concert Choir:
    1)  Prepare this   (start in the 3rd measure of the first system, right where it says 鈥渃hor鈥 and sing to the end of the page)
    2)  Bjorklunden retreat (at Lawrence's beautiful Door County campus) is required, and will be September 19-21, 2025.
    3)  You will be expected to be placed into Cantala or Concert Choir for the entire year (unless approved PRIOR to your audition by the conductors). The educational goals and community building extends longitudinally.
  • Want to join Viking Chorale? Great! Just arrange a short meeting with Dr. Gravelle (shannon.gravelle@lawrence.edu) so she can check your voice;  it鈥檚 not an audition, but a chance to get to know your voice. 

If you are auditioning for Cantala, Concert Choir, or 麻豆视频 Vocal Spectrum, or if you're pursuing a voice-primary major (such as choral music education or vocal performance), you will need to complete the full choral audition (see below). A major factor in your successful audition for these ensembles will be how accurately and musically you prepare a to perform. We want to see how comfortable you are teaching yourself a short amount of choral repertoire.

If you are interested in Viking Chorale, we will use your audition time to check your happiest vocal range. There is no formal audition testing, no sight-reading, no prepared excerpts. If you are a returning student who wishes to continue singing in Viking Chorale, please email Dr. Gravelle directly - no need for an additional sign-up.

New students, here鈥檚 what the full audition looks like (for all choirs except Viking Chorale):

  1. We鈥檒l let you into the room when we鈥檙e ready. It鈥檚 best to arrive a few minutes early and take a few deep breaths. You鈥檙e going to do great!
  2. We鈥檒l start with a conversation. We鈥檙e excited to speak with you.
  3. We鈥檒l move to vocalizing you throughout your range.
  4. We鈥檒l then try to find your voice鈥檚 healthiest range (where it likes to hang out, so to speak). You鈥檒l sing 鈥淢y Country Tis of Thee鈥 in a range of keys. If you鈥檙e not familiar with that song, please click to get a copy.
  5. We鈥檒l move next to some ear-training games. We鈥檒l play some intervals on the piano and ask you to sing them back. We鈥檒l play a chord on the piano and ask you to sing the lowest, highest, or middle notes.
  6. Finally, we鈥檒l move to some sight-reading exercises. We鈥檒l suggest a line from a document on the music stand, and ask you to clap through the rhythms. We鈥檒l suggest a line from the document on the music stand and ask you to sight-sing the melody (we鈥檒l give you the starting pitch and ask you to sing it unaccompanied).
  7. Please look through and prepare this . We will ask you to sing through it to learn how you prepare music on your own.

And that's it! This isn't a competition, and we're not here to ascertain if you have "it." We're here to celebrate what you know, figure out what you don't yet know so we know what to teach, and help you find the right choir for this year. Enjoy the process, sing with pride, and help us get to know you!

 

Required Concert Attire

Concert Choir and Viking Chorale

Concert attire is concert black. This means dress slacks or skirt, black top (at least three-quarters sleeve). Dresses or skirts should hit at ankle-length; if they don't, black tights or nylons are expected. All students should wear closed-toed black dress shoes (no flip-flops). Black socks, tights, or nylons should be worn. Short heels are fine.

Cantala and 麻豆视频 Vocal Spectrum

Specific attire details TBD.