(Boston) The Handel and Haydn Society, the oldest performing arts organization in the United States, is holding auditions for Youth Choruses January 11th at the Old South Church in Boston and January 18th and 25th at Boston Latin. Featuring children in grades 2 – 12, the seven H+H Youth Choruses will perform several times including a concert at Boston Children’s Museum in March and as part of the Handel and Haydn Society Orchestra and Chorus performance of St. Matthew’s Passion on April 3rd and 5th at Symphony Hall.
The Handel and Haydn Society Youth Choruses provide vocal training and choral performance opportunities for talented singers who may advance through the seven ensembles based on age and experience. All students participate in musicianship classes that focus on the development of sight-singing, aural skills, and music literacy. Classes take place at Boston Latin School on Saturdays throughout the school year.
Students interested in joining an H+H Youth Chorus will have an individual audition with their intended ensemble conductor. Students will be asked to sing the first verse of “America” (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) and will be guided through vocal exercises to demonstrate their musicianship. Older students auditioning for the Soloists Program are asked to sing a prepared piece and will be guided through exercises to demonstrate their musicianship. Singers should select a solo piece that demonstrates their vocal range and musicality. The selection can be of any genre and up to three minutes in length. An accompanist is provided.
Acceptance into an H+H ensemble is based on your maturity, age, musicianship, and schedule availability. No prior musical training is required and there is no cost to audition, but tuition for the programs runs from $175 to $237.50 depending on the child’s grade level. Applicants are notified of the results of their audition within two weeks.
Click here to download the audition music
Click here to register for an audition.
About the Handel and Haydn Society
Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society is dedicated to performing Baroque and Classical music with a freshness, vitality, and creativity that inspires all ages. H+H has been captivating audiences for 205 consecutive seasons (the most of any performing arts organization in the United States). Today, H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 50,000 listeners annually with a nine-week subscription series at Boston Symphony Hall and other leading venues. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, H+H supports seven youth choirs of singers in grades 2-12 and provides thousands of complimentary tickets to students and communities throughout Boston, ensuring the joy of music is accessible to all. H+H’s numerous free community concerts include an annual commemoration of the original 1863 Emancipation Proclamation concert on December 31. The artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society is Harry Christophers. Under Christophers’s leadership, H+H has released 13 CDs on the Coro label and has toured nationally and internationally. In all these ways, H+H fulfills its mission to inspire the intellect, touch the heart, elevate the soul, and connect us with our shared humanity through transformative experiences with Baroque and Classical music.
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