Person playing a saxophone on stage

School of Music

UM School or Music logo with choral program text

The UM Chamber Chorale and University Choir are open to all students across campus regardless of their major. Placement into Chamber Chorale requires an audition (information below) while University Choir does not. All singers must complete a voice placement, regardless of whether you’ve been in choir at UM before. A voice placement is NOT an audition. Following the voice placement, those interested in auditioning for Chamber Chorale who have qualified to continue will be notified via email and those interested in University Choir are done! Both choirs are MUSI 112a for freshmen & sophomores and MUSI 312 for juniors, seniors, and graduate students. University Choir is section 01 and Chamber Chorale is section 02. Registration can be changed after the auditions.

Rehearsal Times

  • University Choir: Mon/Wed/Fri 11:00 am-11:50 am 
  • Chamber Chorale: Mon/Wed/Fri 1:00 pm-2:20 pm

2026 Spring Voice Placements


Spring Voice Placement Registration

  • Complete the  and schedule a University Choir Voice Placement or Chamber Chorale Audition. All auditions/voice placements are held in MUS 213.

 

Joining University Choir ONLY? (if interested in both ensembles, see the information about Chamber Chorale below)

  • A voice placement for University Choir is NOT an audition! It is only an assessment of your voice and capabilities in order to place you in the correct section within the choir. It is low pressure, and no prior experience is needed! For the most accurate assessment, please arrive already warmed up.
  • You'll sing a few exercises to establish your range, echo played examples to demonstrate tonal memory, and complete one sight-reading exercise to demonstrate music reading. It is 100% ok if you cannot read music, though!

 

Interested in auditioning for Chamber Chorale? 

  • Complete the registration form. All singers auditioning for Chamber Chorale are also eligible for University Choir. There is no need to do a separate voice placement.
  • In the Chamber Chorale audition, you'll sing exercises to establish your range; echo played examples to demonstrate tonal memory; sight-read three exercises with chromaticism in various keys, time signatures, and difficulties; and sing an ascending and descending major scale while the same scale is played in a different key (ex. sing in C, but piano plays in Bb). For the most accurate assessment, please arrive already warmed up.
  • Following the Chamber Chorale audition, all singers who qualify for the Fall semester must participate in the Callback audition, which is typically held on the first day of classes in August at 6PM in MUS 218 (Choir Room). See below for more information. Spring semester callbacks are on an as-needed basis.

Categories of Assessment for Chamber Chorale Audition:

  1. Highest / Lowest Possible Note
  2. Highest / Lowest Functional Note
  3. Registration Control / Mode of Phonation
  4. Breathing Technique
  5. Timbre
  6. Focus of Tone
  7. Onset
  8. Maturity of Technique
  9. Tension
  10. Vocal Weight
  11. Intensity/Volume
  12. Intonation
  13. Vibrato
  14. Accuracy of Rhythm / Pitch
  15. Steady Tempo
  16. Use of Solfege or other sight-reading method
  17. Tonal Memory
  18. Vocal Independence

Chamber Chorale Callback Information: 

  • Fall callbacks will be held at 6PM on the first day of classes in August in MUS 218 (Choir Room). Spring callbacks are on an as-needed basis.
  • Participation in the Callbacks will require independent preparation of the selected audition excerpts. Audition excerpts will be announced and sent to singers at 5PM on the Friday before classes start.
  • Chamber Chorale will not hold rehearsal on the first day of classes in August, but the choir room will be open and students are encouraged to gather together to practice the audition excerpts.
  • At the callbacks, students will be expected to demonstrate that they have learned the correct voice part for the provided excerpts by performing them alone and/or in small groups. There will be two portions of the callbacks: 1) auditions by sections 2) auditions in octets with one singer per part.

Feel free to reach out to Dr. Hirner if you have any questions: stevie.hirner@umt.edu