The Greenwich Choral Society holds its final auditions for the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Riverside. The century-old ensemble is preparing to join the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra for Verdi's Requiem next spring.
Auditions run from 5 to 6:30 p.m. by appointment at 200 Riverside Ave. Each session lasts about 15 minutes and is conducted one-on-one with Artistic Director Christine Howlett, who also serves as professor of music and director of choral activities at Vassar College, the Greenwich Sentinel reported.
Singers can expect vocal exercises to gauge range and quality, plus some sight-reading. Bringing a prepared piece is optional. The society is recruiting both experienced choral singers and those returning to music after time away, and encourages anyone whose sight-reading skills are rusty to try out.
Verdi Requiem headlines the season
The season's centerpiece is Verdi's Requiem, a large-scale work for chorus and orchestra first performed in 1874. The Greenwich Choral Society and Greenwich Symphony Orchestra will perform it on Saturday, April 3, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 4, 2027, at 3 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Greenwich High School. Soloists and ticket details have not been announced.
Before that, the society will stage its family holiday concerts on Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6. One performance is scheduled for Saturday and two for Sunday.
Rehearsals and dues
Members who pass the audition rehearse Tuesday evenings from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. at St. Paul's. Consistent attendance is expected, and dress rehearsals before concerts are mandatory.
Season dues are $195. Singers younger than 35 pay nothing. Payment plans and a limited number of partial scholarships are also available.
A century of choral music in Greenwich
Founded on Jan. 7, 1926, the Greenwich Choral Society has performed at Carnegie Hall, St. Patrick's Cathedral, St. Thomas Church and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The ensemble has appeared as guest artists with the Greenwich Symphony, New Haven Symphony and Stamford Symphony, according to the society's history page.
Howlett works alongside pianist Jonathan Vaughn, who also serves as associate director of music at Christ Church Greenwich.
To schedule an audition, contact registrar Julianna Irons-Laicher at [email protected] or call the Greenwich Choral Society office at 203-622-5136.
Upcoming dates
- Tuesday, Sept. 15 — Final auditions, 5-6:30 p.m., St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Riverside
- Saturday, Dec. 5, and Sunday, Dec. 6 — Family holiday concerts
- Saturday, April 3, 2027, and Sunday, April 4, 2027 — Verdi's Requiem with the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, Performing Arts Center at Greenwich High School
