Reading, PA – Berks Youth Chorus (BYC) remains committed to providing life-changing music opportunities to youth from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds and seeks singers to become members of an organization dedicated to the advancement of youth through excellence in music.
Through a generous scholarship program, dozens of young people receive needs-based tuition awards, making it possible for them to participate as members in the Chorus.
The Chorus will hold open auditions in May for membership in 2018-2019, its twenty-seventh season. Children and youth entering grades three through twelve in September 2018 are eligible to participate. Auditions will be held at the GoggleWorks, 201 Washington Street, Reading, on Saturday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to noon, and Tuesday, May 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Chorus recommends that singers call 610-898-7664 to schedule an audition time slot or to schedule an audition at another time.
The audition process, which lasts about a half-hour, includes singing of a familiar song like “Happy Birthday” or “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and a melodic and rhythm assessment. Singers who are in high school may be asked to sight-sing a simple melodic passage. Singers do not need to bring a prepared piece or an accompanist. There is no audition fee.
BYC is a premier choral ensemble, which offers high quality vocal instruction for children and youth who want to learn to sing – or just sing better. Members enjoy the company of dozens of singers from throughout Berks County. They perform classical, musical theater, and world music under the guidance of professional musicians, study vocal technique, and learn sight singing, study skills and music theory.
During its twenty-seventh season, BYC will present three concerts and will perform with Opus One: Berks Chamber Choir, Reading Symphony Orchestra, Reading Choral Society, and Berks Opera Company.
Members rehearse weekly from September to May at convenient locations including GoggleWorks in downtown Reading. MasterSingers (high school singers) attend rehearsals on Sunday afternoons; Training Chorus and Chorale (elementary and middle school singers) rehearse on Monday evenings. MasterSingers also attend a weekend retreat in late July; Training Chorus and Chorale also attend a week-long day camp in mid-August.
The concert season is supported by Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, and Reading Musical Foundation.
You Might Also Like
Lundale Farm Announces Sunflower and Harvest Festivals
Pennsylvania’s Justice Bell Visiting Berks County
