Cleveland Orchestra Announces 2017-18 Season Auditions

From The Cleveland Orchestra: The Cleveland Orchestra’s Choruses announce that auditions for the 2017-18 season will take place this spring. The season will be The Cleveland Orchestra’s 100th year of concerts and marks the launch of its Second Century. The Cleveland Orchestra holds a long-standing commitment to choral music in which community members of all ages may have the opportunity to participate. All auditions are scheduled by appointment only and can be arranged by visiting The Cleveland Orchestra’s website atwww.clevelandorchestra.com/chorus-auditions/. For more information, contact the Chorus Office at 216-231-7372 or chorus@clevelandorchestra.com.

Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and Blossom Festival Chorus

Auditions for the 2017-18 Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and 2017 Blossom Festival Chorus will be held April 22, May 3, May 5, and May 30. Prospective members must have previous choral experience and be able to sight-read music. Those auditioning are asked to prepare two pieces from the classical literature, each approximately two minutes in length, with at least one in a foreign language. An additional excerpt from Haydn’s The Seasons is required for anyone auditioning for the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, and will be sent when the audition is scheduled. An accompanist is provided for all auditions.

The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus [COC] (Robert Porco, director; Lisa Wong, assistant director) rehearses on Monday evenings from 7:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. in Beachwood — with some additional Sunday evenings — and every night at Severance Hall during concert weeks. The COC is tentatively scheduled to begin rehearsals on August 20, 2017 and end the season on May 19, 2018. Members of the COC perform with The Cleveland Orchestra in subscription and Christmas concerts at Severance Hall. The coming season for the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus will include encore performances of the innovative and revolutionary production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, concert performances of Wagner’s groundbreaking opera Tristan and Isolde, Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, and Haydn’s The Seasons (at both Severance Hall and Carnegie Hall). The Chorus season will conclude in May with three performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

The Blossom Festival Chorus will perform in a Best of Broadway program on July 16, 2017 at Blossom Music Center, and in Mozart’s Requiem on August 18 as part of the Summers@Severance series at Severance Hall. Evening rehearsals are scheduled to begin on June 26. Blossom Festival Chorus members are also invited to sing with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus for Christmas concerts in December.

Cleveland Orchestra Children’s and Preparatory Choruses

The Children’s Choruses are open to students in grades 5-9 with unchanged voices. Auditions will be held onJune 3 and June 10.

The Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus (Ann Usher, director) provides musical training in vocal production and choral performance skills. Members perform alongside The Cleveland Orchestra in major works calling for children’s voices, as well as presenting their own independent performances throughout greater Cleveland. Performance highlights for the 2017-18 season will include Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen and Christmas concerts with The Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus at Severance Hall.

The Children’s Preparatory Chorus (Suzanne Walters, director) performs two concerts each season. Members are provided with initial choral experiences to which younger singers may not have been exposed. By developing musical skills and performing in public, the children acquire poise, increase self-esteem, and establish a solid foundation in techniques.

Children’s Chorus members will begin rehearsing in early August, and the Preparatory Chorus will begin rehearsals in September. Rehearsals for both groups take place on Monday nights and will run through May.

Images Courtesy Of The Cleveland Orchestra