BCE Fall 2026 Auditions Announcement
Want to sing with BCE this year? We are currently auditioning all voice parts for our upcoming 2026-2027 season. Auditions are held by appointment on August 17 (Mon) and August 18 (Tues). Audition location will be accessible via public transportation.
Audition Sign-Up Process
Interested auditionees must complete a pre-screening form to provide information about their musical background and participation. Upon submission, prospective auditionees will receive an invitation at 6 PM on Monday, August 10th to sign up for an audition slot. We encourage prospective auditionees to set a reminder for themselves to sign-up on August 10th. There are a limited number of audition slots and they fill up quickly. Once audition slots are filled, prospective auditionees will be placed on a waitlist and informed if a slot becomes available.
Audition Process
Auditions are conducted by our Artistic Director and a BCE Membership representative. Each audition is approximately 10 minutes. Please come a few minutes early to chat with some choir members and learn more about what Boston Choral Ensemble is all about!
Auditions are a chance for the Artistic Director to gather information about your voice and musicianship including:
Range: Artistic Director will guide you through vocal exercises to explore your range.
Prepared selection: Sing a prepared song of your choice that best represents your choral or solo singing voice. Please do not perform a contemporary chart (that is, avoid jazz/popular tunes), and avoid songs with a limited range (e.g. a song with 5 melodic notes). See the FAQ section for recommendations. If you would like to be considered for a solo in the November Messiah concert, make sure to read the FAQ section in detail!
Musicianship: Sing a short section of a choral piece that you can learn in advance (download here) OR you perform an impromptu sight-singing exercise, given by the Artistic Director at the audition. See the FAQ section for more information
Important Dates
BCE rehearses from September through June on Thursday evenings (6:30-9:00 pm) at Old South Church in Copley Square. Singers are expected to participate in all BCE concerts, retreats and dress rehearsals. Important dates for the 2026-2027 season are listed below:
(*) denotes mandatory attendance in order to perform in the concert
September 10, 2026 - First fall rehearsal (6:30-9pm)
November 21, 2026 - Staged “Messiah” Concert - 5:00 pm
Staging Rehearsals:
Thursday, October 29 and Friday, October 30, 6:30-9:30pm*
Dress Rehearsals:
Monday, November 16 and Thursday, November 19, 6:30-9:30pm*
December 10 - last rehearsal of 2026
January 7 or 14, 2027 - first 2027 rehearsal (exact date TBD)
January 30, 2027 - Winter retreat (10am - 3pm) *
February 27, 2027 - Pop-Up Concerts (hold 9am - 4pm, exact times and locations to be announced)
March 20, 2027 - March concert - 7pm
Dress Rehearsals:
Monday, March 15 and Thursday, March 18, 6:30-9:30pm*
May 22, 2027 - May concert - 7pm
Dress Rehearsals:
Monday, May 17 and Thursday, May 20, 6:30-9:30pm*
May 27, 2027 - Annual meeting (7-9pm)
All BCE members agree to uphold BCE’s Member Handbook and Code of Conduct.
Member Dues - are a core part of BCE's budget, and enable BCE to rent weekly rehearsal space, purchase sheet music, pay for an accompanist, and other ongoing aspects that make BCE run smoothly for its singers. Unlike many other choirs, dues payment includes the cost of sheet music, and BCE does not ask its members to pay additional money to pay for their own copies.
BCE is fully committed to our existing principle that the ability to pay dues will never be a barrier to being a member of BCE. To that end, we have a range of membership dues options. All members have the same rights and responsibilities, regardless of which dues option they select.
Base Dues: $150/year
Voluntary Dues: $225/year — this amount fully covers the operational costs per member, and is an option for those who are able to pay a higher amount
Waived Dues: $0/year or "pay what you're able"— an option for those for whom Base Dues pose a financial hardship
Dues must be paid by the end of September for the full year. Contact treasurer@bostonchoral.org to arrange to pay your dues in installments if necessary.
All singers must abide by all our Health Guidelines, which are summarized below :
Masking for singers at rehearsals and performances is permitted on an individual basis.
All singers should be vigilant about their personal health and consider masking or staying home from rehearsal if they are experiencing any non-allergy respiratory symptoms.
It is recommended that singers stay up-to-date on Covid-19 and flu vaccinations as they are able.
The BCE Health Monitor is the designated point-person for any Covid-19 or health-related concerns.
We are committed to making participation in Boston Choral Ensemble (BCE) a respectful, welcoming, and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sex, sexual orientation, disability, neurotype, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, educational attainment, or religion.
We value the diversity of perspectives, thoughts, feelings, and experiences in our community and encourage interested singers from all backgrounds to audition! For more information about our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all, please visit our Code of Conduct page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I sing for my audition?
Our fall concert will be staged performance of Handel’s Messiah. We are hoping to fill all solos from the BCE membership. If you would like to be considered for a solo, please be prepared to sing the following during your audition:
Sopranos: Movement 45 (“I know that my redeemer Liveth”) measures 18-53, and all of Movement 15 (“And the angel said”)
Altos: Movement 23 (“He was despised”) measures 8-21, and Movement 6 (“But who may abide”) measures 63-93
Tenors: Movement 43 (“Thou shalt break them”) or Movement 3 (“Ev’ry valley”)
Basses: All of Movement 5 (“Thus saith the Lord”) and Movement 6 (“But who may abide”) measures 63-93
(We will be performing for the Watkins Shaw edition. However, for the purposes of auditions, you may sing from any of a number of free editions that are available online)
If you are not interested in being considered for a Messiah solo, please sing a song that best represents your choral/solo singing voice and vocal range. Please do not sing a contemporary chart (that is, avoid jazz/popular tunes). Please do not sing a song of your voice part from a choir song (e.g. don't sing the tenor line from a song you know from your choir).
Having a hard time picking a song? Here are some options suggested by the Artistic Director:
A folk song or spiritual (for example, Danny Boy (PDF), Amazing Grace (download here)—as long as it demonstrates your vocal range)
The Star Spangled Banner (singers should sing this in a range that reflects their voice part. e.g. a Soprano in Bb or C major, etc.)
Silent Noon by Ralph Vaughan Williams (download here) [pages 1-3, or the full song]
Any piece from 24 Italian Songs and Arias of the 17th and 18th Centuries (download here)
Pie Jesu by Gabriel Fauré (PDF)
What’s the musicianship part of the audition?
This is a chance for you to demonstrate how you learn music. You have two options for this section—pick the one that works best for you:
Advanced preparation -download this PDF and select one of the two pieces. Teach yourself the notes in advance and sing it at your audition at your own tempo, on whatever vowel you choose.
OR
Sight singing - our Artistic Director will give you an unfamiliar piece of music and ask you to sight-sing it. Perfection is not expected, rather a general sense of skill.
I’m not available for some of the dates of BCE events in 2026-2027. Should I audition?
We are looking for new members who can commit to the full 2026-2027 season of rehearsals, concerts, and other activities. If you have questions about whether your availability would work for BCE, please get in touch with us.
What are the Pop-Up Concerts?
Pop-up concerts are short free mini-concerts where BCE “pops up” in community gathering spaces in Greater Boston. In the past, we have performed pop-up sets at locations like public libraries, community centers, and art museums. We find that our pop-up concerts help us live up to our mission to make high quality choral music more accessible to audiences across the region. This year, we will be performing three short concerts on Saturday, February 27th. Exact times and locations to be announced!
How much choral experience do I need to sing with BCE?
Most BCE singers have sung in choirs or had other musical experience, but formal choral experience is not a prerequisite for singing in BCE. However, we do expect that singers will be able to work independently to prepare repertoire in advance of rehearsal in whatever way works best for them. If you have questions about this, please get in touch with us.