St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is holding auditions for tenors and basses as we begin preparing for our May 2 and 3 Damariscotta concerts. Sopranos and altos may join our waiting list. The choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings, 6:30-8:30, at St. Andrew’s Church at 11 Glidden Street in Newcastle. 

The 30th anniversary concerts will feature two works honoring the choir’s namesake, including a stunning work by Maine composer Richard Francis which was composed for the choir in its second year. Also on the program is Ola Gjeilo's "The Lake Isle" for chorus, guitar, piano and string quartet, the stirring spiritual "John the Revelator,” as well as works by Herbert Howells, Eric Whitacre, and Gwyneth Walker. To schedule an audition, email audition@ceciliachoir.org.

St. Cecilia Chamber Choir is a fully-auditioned group performing the very finest challenging choral repertoire spanning the centuries from medieval to modern, under the direction of husband-and-wife team Linda Blanchard and Sean Fleming of Damariscotta. In the English choral tradition, we sing with a straight tone, enabling attention to the fine-tuning of rich harmonies.

We’re a dedicated and friendly group, eager to welcome new members, and we especially encourage gifted students to audition. Rehearsals are high-energy and challenging. “We work hard,” says Blanchard, “but we keep the rehearsals upbeat and fun. We provide practice materials to use at home, so singers can come to rehearsal feeling prepared and ready to go!”

Singers wishing to audition should have good vocal control, and sopranos and altos should be able to sing without vibrato. The ability to read music is preferred, but those who cannot read fluently may participate by spending extra time learning the music at home with the aid of provided practice materials.

For more information about the Choir, please visit  ceciliachoir.org and/or  facebook.com/stceciliachamberchoir.