Choir & Vocal Ensembles
AUDITIONS are held 2-3 days before classes start each semester.
The Advanced Women’s Chorus will accept 16-20 excellent singers. The group will rehearse and perform (recordings and livestreamed) advanced repertoire for SSA voices. Good vocal technique, sight-singing skills, aural skills, and pitch accuracy are expected.
Acceptance is by audition and/or permission of the instructor. The audition includes range and skills check and some sight-reading. Specific excerpts will be given for call backs. For further information, please contact choralassistant@byui.edu.
Collegiate Singers, conducted by Dr. Randall Kempton, comprises 40-50 of the finest singer/musicians on campus. This group offers both singers and audience members a life-changing experience with a wide variety of challenging choral music.
Acceptance is by audition and/or permission of the instructor. Advanced sight-singing, aural skills, and vocal ability are preferred. Prepare a memorized song or hymn (60-90 seconds) to audition. For further information, please contact choralassistant@byui.edu.
Collegiate Singers tours regularly, gives many on and off-campus performances and has appeared at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association and as a guest choir on Music and the Spoken Word with the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. Concurrent enrollment in voice lessons is strongly recommended.
Register now for Music 312M. For further information, please contact choralassistant@byui.edu.
Concert Choir, conducted by Dr. Eda Ashby, is an auditioned choir of 70+ mixed voices. The focus of the ensemble is to experience the joy and deep learning of preparing and sharing a rich musical experience through the medium of choral music. In addition to regular on-campus choral performances, Concert Choir frequently provides special music numbers for campus-wide devotionals, and often joins with instrumental ensembles in collaborative music works and presentations such as A BYU-Idaho Christmas, BYU-Idaho's Sacred Music Commission Series, and choral masterworks. Concurrent enrollment in voice lessons is strongly recommended.
Acceptance is by audition and/or permission of the instructor. At the auditions there will be a range and skills check, and some sight-reading. Specific excerpts will be given for call backs. For further information, please contact choralassistant@byui.edu.
The Men's Chorus is a large all-male ensemble sure to thrill audiences of all ages. The Men's Chorus repertoire ranges from barbershop to Gregorian chant, from sacred hymns and spirituals to the best of Broadway and Hollywood, and from serious classical music to popular a cappella. In addition to performing independently, the Men's Chorus combines regularly with the Women's Chorus for special performances announced at the beginning of each semester. Highlights from past and future seasons include singing for sessions of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joint concerts with the BYU Men's Chorus, and the wildly popular annual BYU-Idaho Barbershop Festival.
The Men's Chorus (beginner-intermediate) is a large all-male ensemble sure to thrill audiences of all ages. The Men's Chorus repertoire ranges from barbershop to Gregorian chant, from sacred hymns and spirituals to the best of Broadway and Hollywood, and from serious classical music to popular a cappella. In addition to performing independently, the Men's Chorus combines regularly with the Women's Chorus for special performances announced at the beginning of each semester. Highlights from past and future seasons include singing for sessions of the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joint concerts with the BYU Men's Chorus, and the wildly popular annual BYU-Idaho Barbershop Festival.
For further information, please contact choralassistant@byui.edu.
The Opera Workshop class produces a program of operatic scenes, ranging from small scenes with solos, duets, and small ensembles to large scenes with full opera chorus. Programs include a great variety of scenes including classical, romantic, and modern operas, featuring members of the class as soloists and chorus members. Audition is required. Contact Dr. David Olsen for more information.
Each semester, the Opera Workshop class produces a program of operatic scenes, ranging from small scenes with solos, duets and small ensembles to large scenes with full opera chorus. Programs include a great variety of scenes, from classical, romantic, and modern operas, featuring members of the class as soloists and chorus.
AUDITION INFORMATION: Participation in the class is based on auditions that occur in the first week of class. To audition, prepare an opera aria that demonstrates your vocal and dramatic abilities (an art song may be used for the audition, but aria is preferred). An accompanist is provided at the audition, though singers are encouraged to bring their own, when possible. The scenes program for that semester will be determined by the results of the auditions.
Registration in Music 317 is required for participation in the Opera Workshop class. Note: Every 4 semesters, the Opera Workshop course is superseded by the production of a fully staged large operatic work. For example, in Fall 2011, the department produced Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.
University Choir performs choral music in many styles. Its purpose is to develop vocal and choral skills and promote musical enjoyment for students of varying experience and skill levels. The group regularly performs on campus concerts and at devotionals. No audition is required.
Vocal Union, conducted by Nori Brower, is a 12-voice mixed ensemble specializing in close harmony and vocal jazz. This ensemble participates in many on and off-campus performances, joint concerts with BYU-Idaho Sound Alliance, and tours throughout Canada, the U.S. and Latin America. Vocal Union provides audiences with quality entertainment while giving its student performers a rich experience in complex rhythms and harmonies, stage, and microphone technique. Concurrent enrollment in voice lessons is strongly recommended. Audition is required.
Interested applicants should prepare a 60 second excerpt of a jazz standard that demonstrates their best vocal range, performance, and ability. Any attempts at "stylizing" the piece (scoops, slides, etc.) should demonstrate good musical taste. In addition, you may be asked to sight-read a short melody and/or rhythm. For additional information, contact Nori Brower.
Vocal Union is a 12-voice mixed ensemble specializing in close harmony and vocal jazz. This ensemble participates in many on and off-campus performances, joint concerts with BYU-Idaho Sound Alliance, and tours throughout Canada, the U.S. and Latin America. Vocal Union provides audiences with quality entertainment while giving its student performers a rich experience in complex rhythms and harmonies, stage, and microphone technique. Concurrent enrollment in voice lessons is strongly recommended.
Women's Chorus, conducted by Atina Coates, is an all-female open-enrollment choir. The repertoire ranges from sacred hymns and spirituals to classic popular songs, barbershop, and from serious classical music to traditional and modern choral literature.
In addition to performing independently, the Women's Chorus combines regularly with the Men's Chorus for special performances. Join Women's Chorus today!
Women's Chorus members enjoy singing as they rehearse and perform in campus concerts and university devotionals. Highlights from past and future seasons include singing for regional fireside broadcasts, collaborating with other University brass and string ensembles, and performing in the big shows in the I-Center.