Are you interested in joining the GSA Choir? We are one of Glasgow’s largest choirs and our members come from all walks of life and from all over central Scotland. Membership of the ensemble isn’t dependent on choral experience, nor affiliation with The Glasgow School of Art. Our ensemble is non-auditioned and you don’t need to be able to read music.

Where and when do you rehearse?

We rehearse weekly on Tuesday evenings from 7.00 – 9.00pm in Glasgow city centre. Our rehearsal season runs from the beginning of August to the end of May each year.

For the three weeks preceding our concert performances we also have rehearsals on a Thursday evening from 7.00 – 9.00pm. Once a month we have a Saturday rehearsal from 10 – 4pm: these are designed as an opportunity to provide more rehearsal time for anyone who wishes it and attendance on Saturdays is not mandatory.

There is step free access to our rehearsal venue and to the toilets.

How much does membership cost?

Membership for the ensemble costs £70 per year for standard membership and £20 per year for students at any institution other than The Glasgow School of Art. Membership for students at GSA is free. Fees are payable twice a year, with half the total fee noted above due in September and half due in January.

We try to keep membership of the ensemble at an affordable level for everyone, however if you would like to join the choir but have concerns about the cost of membership, please email us in confidence to discuss further: our ensemble is open to all and we do not want personal finances to pose a barrier to people joining.

I’ve never sung in a choir before, does that matter?

Absolutely not. Later on this page we explain what to expect from your first rehearsal and your first performance so that you have an idea of what it will all be like, but we don’t require our members to have performed with other ensembles previously. Our Musical Director will explain everything as rehearsals progress and if you have any questions at all, you only have to ask.

I can’t read music, does that matter?

Not at all. Many of our members can’t read music but that doesn’t stop us performing hugely ambitious and exciting music. Our Musical Director teaches all vocal lines to the choir and, in addition to tutti rehearsals (where the whole choir is together), we have sectional rehearsals (where we split up into our individual voice parts) where we go through the individual parts in more detail.

Our Musical Director records each of the voice parts for all the pieces on piano and then uploads these to Dropbox. Each member has access to the Dropbox recordings so you can listen in between rehearsals and get comfortable with your individual part.

We also have occasional group vocal coaching workshops with professional singers which are provided to choir members, and also run music theory workshops at intermittent points in order to provide members with a chance to improve their music-reading skills. The cost of both these workshops are included within the ensemble membership fee above.

Will I have to audition?

No, never. You will never be asked to sing by yourself or in small groups.

Do I have to have a good voice?

A choir is about the overall blend of all the voices and, with over 140 singers, our ensemble has a huge variety of voice types. Our Musical Director is passionate in his view that anyone can sing well enough to be in a choir and that no-one should feel like their ‘instrument’ isn’t good enough.

Which voice part will I sing?

We don’t audition our members so you will choose your own voice part. The breakdown of voices is shown below and there is no expectation of who should sing which part: you should sing the part which feels right for you and the pitch of your voice.

Soprano – highest voice in the choir

Alto – middle-high voice

Tenor – middle-low voice

Bass – lowest voice

If you are unsure which voice type you have then we would suggest attending a rehearsal and trying to sing either alto or tenor. If you find it too high or too low you can simply swap to a different part the following week until you are comfortable.

What should I expect when I arrive for the first time?

When you arrive for your first rehearsal there will be a number of choir volunteers by the door who can provide you with your own copy of all the music, and welcome you to the ensemble.

Seating is arranged by voice part: as the audience looks at the choir, sopranos are on the left, altos are on the right. Tenors are in the middle in the front and basses behind them. At your first rehearsal you can ask one of the choir volunteers, or any of our singers, and they will show you where to sit. We don’t have reserved seats so you don’t have to worry about sitting in someone else’s place.

Our rehearsals always start with a vocal warm-up. Some weeks we will then divide into sectional rehearsals but we rehearse as a single group most weeks. During rehearsals we will often focus on only two or three pieces each week, although we perform up to ten works in most concerts.

What music do you perform?

We are a traditional choir and we perform sacred and secular music from any time period. We perform a lot of contemporary choral music, and are particularly proud of our commissioning record, but we also perform music from the 17^th, 18^th and 19^th Centuries. No matter what your background – even if you feel you know very little about the style of music we perform, or if you feel you know nothing – the ensemble is a wonderful place to learn.

You can listen to some audio clips of the choir’s previously released CDs here, which should provide a flavour of what we perform.

Although we perform sacred works in some concerts, we are a non-denominational ensemble.

Do I need to buy music?

Your annual membership fee covers the cost of all sheet music. You will be a given your own pack of music which is yours and yours alone. There will be some music which we will require back at the end of the season, but you will be told about this in advance so you know which pieces you have to return.

As long as you use pencil only, you can write on all music, even pieces you are returning at the end of the season.

Should I bring anything to rehearsals?

All you need to bring to your first rehearsal is a pencil (for taking notes in your music) and a bottle of water. After your first rehearsal you will get to keep your music so you need to bring this with you each week too, although we do keep a limited number of spare sets in case of emergencies.

When do you perform?

Our two principal concerts happen in May and in December each year. Our December concert is a Christmas concert and we perform a matinee afternoon performance as well as the evening concert.

We also perform other concerts at various venues throughout the year, often by invitation. One example of this would be at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, in August 2018.

Where do you perform?

We perform at the New Auditorium at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. The auditorium seats 450 people and our concerts usually sell-out.

There is lift access from street level to the choir dressing rooms, toilets and the stage. There is a small flight of steps from backstage to get onto the stage itself. Although the choir stands when performing, every singer has their own seat on the stage.

Where do I stand on stage?

Our performance formation matches our rehearsal layout (sopranos on the left, altos on the right, tenors in the middle at the front, basses in the middle at the back). The stage has three tiered levels which helps with sight lines, and on concert day the choir will be arranged by height to ensure everyone can see the conductor and be seen by the audience.

What should I wear for concerts?

The only requirement for concert wear is that it is all black. Choir members can pick what they wear as long as it meets this requirement.

Is there a ‘best’ time to join?

We begin rehearsing for our summer concert each year in January, and begin rehearsing for our Christmas concerts in August, so if you join the ensemble at these times you will have the maximum amount of rehearsal time before your first performance.

We hold an open rehearsal each year which is designed specifically to give interested singers insight into what it’s like being in the ensemble. At this rehearsal all singers (current and prospective members) are given a new piece of music to work on with our Musical Director, and over the course of the rehearsal the piece is assembled part by part. Following the rehearsal there is a chance meet existing members and the Musical Director, to ask any questions you may have about the ensemble. The date for our annual open rehearsal is published on our events page.

In spite of the above, interested singers are generally welcome to join at any point throughout the calendar year.

How do I join or ask further questions?

If you would like to join us, or have any questions about being part of our ensemble, click here to contact us. Remember, the choir is non-auditioned and open to everyone.