Joining the choir
Collegium Musicum of London is a friendly, enthusiastic and ambitious chamber choir that prides itself on achieving high standards. New members are always welcome, so If you can read music, and want to sing in a dynamic, chamber ensemble with a BBC prize-winning conductor, CML may be the place for you! Just get in touch to arrange a very straightforward audition.
The choir aims to sing around four concerts per year. Rehearsals take place on the day of the concert (generally Saturdays), and for six Wednesday evenings in advance, from 7.00pm to 10.00 pm. The rehearsal venue is The Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer, Exmouth Market, London EC1 (nearest tubes: Farringdon, Angel). Re-auditions are also held for the whole choir about once every two years. For details of subscriptions payable please see the members' page. If you are interested in joining Collegium Musicum of London, please email Jill Lundquist, our Choir List Secretary.
Click here to download a recruitment poster
Auditions
Please contact Jill Lundquist with any queries you may have or to arrange an audition.
We prefer new members to audition well in advance of the first programme that they hope to sing with CML (the full programme and rehearsal schedule is outlined on the members' page of this website), but in any case, no later than immediately before the first rehearsal for that particular programme.
Following your audition, you may be invited to stay for the rest of the rehearsal. If you wish to participate in the programme that the choir is starting to prepare, this is not mandatory, of course. But this invitation is ‘without prejudice’, and we will confirm within a day or two, by e-mail, if you have been accepted as a probationary member.
Probationary membership will extend for up to two of CML’s programmes. During this time, the Musical Director will request feedback on your performance from a ‘mentor’ within your section. This will be reported to you as appropriate. This is not designed to be off-putting, but the purpose is simply to ensure that any potential member is able both to reach performance standard and to attain the blend of sound we require for the choir.
We will write again, no later than a few days after the concert(s) of the second programme, to say if we are happy for you to become a full member at which point you will be required to pay the annual subscription if you wish to continue singing with us.
September 2001: Collegium
Musicum's guests, The Moscow
State University Academic
Choir, rehearsing for our
joint concert, Together with
their conductor, Mirza Askerov.
Format of the Audition (10–15 mins)
1.You will be asked to sing a sequence of major scales (one octave, up and down on ‘ah’) by way of a ‘warm-up’, and to demonstrate the extremes of your vocal range.
2.You will be asked to sing the melody-line of a well-known hymn: one verse, without accompaniment, to demonstrate your vocal quality and intonation. The chosen hymns contain a number of melodic leaps that need to be pitched accurately. You may select any one of the following:
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First Line
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Tune
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The New English Hymnal (Morehouse Publishing)
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Songs of Praise (OUP)
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Hills of the North, rejoice
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Little Conrad
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7
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64
|
|
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For all the saints
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Sine Nomine
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197
|
202
|
|
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I bind unto myself today
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St Patrick
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159
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528
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|
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My God, how wonderful thou art
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Westminster
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410
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581
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|
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O worship the King
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Hanover
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433
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618
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Lo! he comes with clouds descending
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Helmsley
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9
|
65
|
|
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Glorious things of thee are spoken
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Abbot’s Leigh
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Words: 362
Tune: 185
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You can find music and words for most of these at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/, but please ask Jill Lundquist in case of difficulty.
3.You will be asked to sing a simple melody at sight, after time for preparation. The standard is approximately ABRSM Grade 5.
4. You will be asked to sing three intervals above a given key-note within the major or minor scales.
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