Auditions: Saturday, Nov.
5 from 1:00-4:00pm.
Optional Solo Rehearsals:
Sundays, Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 from 8:35-9:00pm. For
soloists choosing to have this extra rehearsal, a 5-10
minute specific time will be assigned for soloists to
practice with the orchestra on one of these days. Soloists who choose not to have
this extra rehearsal, will still be assigned a time to
practice with the orchestra during the Dress Rehearsal.
Dress Rehearsal:
Sunday, Nov. 27 from
5:00-6:30pm. A 5-10 minute specific time will be assigned
for each soloist to practice with the orchestra. Light
snacks will be provided after the solo rehearsals from
6:30-7:00pm.
Performance Call Times: Friday, Dec.
2 at
6:45pm and Saturday, Dec. 3 at 3:00pm. The Group Picture will be taken on
Dec. 3 at 3:10pm following the warm-up.
Performance Times: Friday, Dec.
2 at 7:00pm and Saturday, Dec.
3 at 4:00pm.
Who Can Audition: Solo auditions are primarily for adults, but youth with
solo experience may also audition. To sign up for an
audition time, please email samessiahaudition @ gmail.com.
Walk-ins are also welcome.
What to Sing: Please prepare any solo from Handel’s Messiah.
The majority of solos given will come from the "Christmas"
section of the Messiah (anything before His Yoke is Easy),
but usually we assign a few solos from the other sections of
the Messiah as well.
Due to the
growing number of those auditioning and the limited time, you
will only be asked to sing 1-2 minutes of the solo you have prepared. You may also be asked to sing small portions of other Messiah solos that you already know if we feel your voice might be well suited on a different piece or if you are auditioning on the same piece as someone else. Similarly, you may also be asked to sight read Messiah solos that you do not know, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Accompaniment: A pianist will be provided for your audition, but you are
welcome to use your own pianist or sing with a background
recording if you bring your own recording and playback
device.
Judging: A panel of 3-5 judges will evaluate each audition on predetermined criteria; the lowest and highest scores will be dropped, and then the remaining scores will be averaged. Based on these averages, soloists will be ranked from highest to lowest and these scores will be used when selecting soloists. Judges will score soloists on the following criteria: intonation, rhythm and counting, tone, technique (including diction, articulation, and breath control), interpretation (including dynamics, phrasing, and tempo), artistry, and the overall performance.
We will be filming all auditions to help the judges
remember those who are auditioning during the selection
process. The videos will be deleted as soon as the Messiah
soloists are selected and will not be used for any other
purpose other than selecting soloists.
Callbacks are not usually necessary, but if needed for
close scores, they
are done by having two judges re-watch the recorded
auditions. If live callbacks are necessary, that will be
communicated within one week of auditions.
Results: Those who audition will be notified via e-mail within one
week indicating whether they have been selected for a Messiah solo or not. Each soloist will only be assigned to one solo, or traditional grouping of solos, in order to give more people the opportunity to perform. If chosen, soloists may be assigned to a piece other than the one they auditioned on.
Typically, 8-10 soloists are selected, depending on solo
length, how many choruses the choir is performing, chorus
length, and programming length in general.
After Selection: Soloists will be asked to submit a bio and photo of themselves to be used in social media advertising and in the concert program.
When you sign-up to audition, you will be asked to give
consent for your picture and vocal performance to be used
publicaly and online.
Preparation: There are many videos and recordings online to assist with preparing for auditions. If you wish to practice with pre-recorded accompaniment, most solo accompaniments can be found on Youtube simply by searching for the name of the solo followed by the word “accompaniment.”
Join the Choir: All soloists are invited, but not required, to sing with
the Messiah Choir.
Performance Dress: Wear anything dressy and suitable for a
solo performance. Please dress modestly for all rehearsals and performances.