CJ Replay: Choral Conducting Auditions

Imagine for a moment a pianist who went in to audition for a jury and faced the following problems:

1) The piano, which he had had no opportunity to tryout previously, was out of tune, and he was expected to tune it in front of the jury. Sections of it needed voicing, and some notes had
been purposely put out of order to see if he could repair them.

2) The jury representative had notified him only three weeks previously of the four pieces he was to bring, none of which were very familiar to him.

3) He was asked not to perform the pieces but rather to practice sections of them in front of the jury.

4) He was to make sure that he covered at least parts of all four pieces in the twenty-five minutes which he was allowed.

5) He was expected to show his personality and wit while rehearsing and keep the rehearsal interesting for all those observing.

Does this sound a trifle farfetched? Certainly no pianist would be very comfortable in the situation. Yet the person facing many choral conducting auditions faces problems that might be compared to these.

The audition shows only the superficial qualities of a nervous person reacting to a stressful situation in front of a group of strangers. We must always remember that it is the ability of the conductor to effectively rehearse the choir that is to be judged by the audition. There are four basic areas in which I would make suggestions in attempting to aid a conductor in preparing for a
choral conducting audition. These areas are preparation, communication, flexibility, and the singers’ perspective.

(from the Choral Journal article “Choral Conducting Auditions” by Robert Hall.)