OBF Chorus: Audition Requirements

Helmuth Rilling, artistic director and conductor, is interested in the ability of each singer to keep vibrato under control at all volume levels, particularly in high voices. Please keep this in mind as you prepare your tape. Your audition recording on CD should consist of the following items in the order shown:

1. Please identify yourself and the part for which you are auditioning (soprano 1, tenor 2, etc.).

2. A piano-accompanied solo of your own choice, preferably sostenuto. The purpose of this is to hear you on music with which you feel comfortable and that will illustate the quality of your voice.

3. Your voice part to the "cum sancto spiritu" fugue from the Bach Mass in B Minor (mm. 37-63, Bärenreiter measure numbering), with accompaniment. The purpose of this exercise is to determine your flexibility at a very fast tempo. Please sing the passage as close to quarter note=110 as you can. All sopranos should do soprano 1. Those wishing to be considered for soprano 2 should perform that part also.

4. Read aloud the following German text:

Zwar ist solche Herzensstube wohl kein schöner Fürstensaal, sondern eine finstre Grube; doch sobald dein Gnadenstrahl in dieselbe nur wird blinken, wird sie voller Sonnen dünken.

5. Sing exercise #1 on "ah" (no initial consonants) in the following ways. You may repeat individual exercises if you wish.

6. Sing exercise #2 on "ah", beginning in the middle of your range. Repeat the exercise, each time a half step higher, until you have reached the upper limit of your useful range. Please announce at the beginning in what key you are starting.

7. Sing exercise #3 on whatever vowel you wish, starting in the middle of your range, at the same tempo as exercise #2. Repeat the exercise, each time a half step lower, until you have reached the lower limit of your useful range. Please announce at the beginning in what key you are starting.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

There is no deadline for sending us a recorded audition. Send your completed recording and a brief resume to:

Penny Hoge
Oregon Bach Festival
1257 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1257
(541) 346-1316
phoge@uoregon.edu