Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus To Hold Auditions

by Tucson Symphony

TSO Chorus Featured on Handel’s Messiah & Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms

(Tucson, AZ)—The Tucson Symphony Orchestra ChorusBruce Chamberlain, Director—will hold auditions for new chorus members Monday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tucson Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave. All performances are with the TSO.

Now in its fifteenth season, the TSO Chorus will be featured on the annual holiday performances of Handel’s Messiah, conducted by Dr. Chamberlain. They will also be featured on Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, conducted by Michael Stern, to close the Classic Series. The TSO Chorus closed last season with two sold-out performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

In a recent season, the Green Valley News and Sun called their performance of Poulenc’s Gloria, “the epitome of phrasing, intonation and balance,” and added, “The four months Professor Chamberlain spent preparing the chorus rewarded the audience in many ways.”

Founding Director of the TSO Chorus, Bruce Chamberlain retired in May, 2018 as Director of Choral Activities and Associate Director of the Fred Fox School of Music after bringing to these positions 40 years of professional experience. Chamberlain has appeared with the symphony orchestras of St. Petersburg (Russia), San Antonio (Texas), Jackson (Tennessee), Imperial Symphony Orchestra (Florida), Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic, Czech Virtuosi Orchestra (Brno), Budapest Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Festival Orchestra of Iowa, New York City Chamber Orchestra,  and the SoliAll Philharmonic and Ryul Chamber Orchestra in Seoul, Korea. Chamberlain is a summa cum laude graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with bachelor’s, master’s and Doctor of Music degrees.

Now is your chance to sing with a full orchestra and with fellow chorus members. Singers should have basic musicianship and be able to adapt to various repertoire. They should prepare two choral excerpts downloaded from the website and a solo piece from the art song or oratorio repertoire. The two choral excerpts, which are to be prepared before coming to the audition, can be downloaded at http://www.tucsonsymphony.org/about-tso/orchestra/tso-chorus.  An accompanist will be provided.

Rehearsals are scheduled for the Symphony Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave., on Monday evenings throughout the season beginning October 8.

In addition to the opportunity to make high-level music with Tucson’s best choral and orchestral musicians, benefits of singing in the TSO Chorus include complimentary tickets to select Classics and TSO SuperPops! concerts. Chorus members also receive free parking when they are performing.

For more information and to schedule an audition email auditions@tucsonsymphony.org.

Contact: Terry Marshall, Public Relations Manager, 520.620.9158