Auditions

Thank you for your interest in Pittsburgh Girls Choir! For seventeen years, we have been dedicated to creating strong communities of girls united by the desire to grow in musical knowledge, vocal/performance skills, cultural awareness and personal responsibility in a hard-working and fun environment.

We believe that every girl can learn to sing and do not reject anyone with a treble voice. The purpose of the audition is to help us place each girl in the choir which will enable her to thrive.

The Pittsburgh Girls Choir is welcoming new singers now for the 2023-2024 season. All interested singers should sign up for an audition. If you cannot make either audition date (6-12th grade) or the Open Class (1-5th grade) please contact Artistic Director Kathryn Barnard at kathryn@pghchoralarts.org to set up an audition. Accepted HIGH SCHOOL singers are strongly encouraged to attend Concentio camp in August (8/7 – 8/11, 9am – 4pm daily at Shadyside Presbyterian Church.)

Audition Day information for middle and high school:

• Monday, June 12, 2023 4:00-7:00 pm (middle and high school singers)
• Tuesday July 25, 2023 4:00-7:00 pm (middle and high school singers)
• Tuesday, September 12, 2023 5:00-5:00 pm (MIDDLE school singers only)

The Audition Day and the Open Classes will take place at Shadyside Presbyterian Church.

To sign up for an audition for middle school or high school singers, click here.

Open Class information for elementary school:

• Tuesday, September 5, 2023 4:30-5:30 pm (1-3rd grade singers)
• Tuesday, September 5, 2023 6-7:00 pm (4th-5th grade singers)

Following the audition, please see our registration page to sign up for the appropriate PGC choir.

*Girls in grades 4-8 (Fall 2022) can find more information about choral placement preparation below. We ask that at least one parent is present for this meeting.  This provides an opportunity for both student and parent to get to know the teacher and to find out more about Pittsburgh Girls Choir. Girls in grade 1-3 can register without an audition.

Choral Placement Preparation

4th-5th Grade Girls should be prepared to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or the ABC song.

6th – 8th Grade Girls will be asked the following:

• Sing a simple warm up exercise (will be taught at the audition)
• Sing a favorite song of her choice, or choose from the following:
  • Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz)
  • Feed the Birds (Mary Poppins)
  • The Hills are Alive (Sound of Music)
  • Favorite Things (Sound of Music)
  • A hymn
  • Any folk song (can be from any country or culture)
• Sing “Are You Sleeping” (or “Frère Jacques”) 

9th – 12th Grade Girls:  Because of the advanced level of difficulty, Concentio membership requires previous choral and /or vocal training. Girls in high school who have no previous experience will need to spend a preparatory year in Via.

• Sing a simple warm up exercise (will be taught at the audition)
• Sing a favorite song of her choice, or choose from the following:
  • Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz)
  • Feed the Birds (Mary Poppins)
  • The Hills are Alive (Sound of Music)
  • Favorite Things (Sound of Music)
  • A hymn
  • Any folk song (can be from any country or culture)
• Sing “Are You Sleeping” (or “Frère Jacques”)
• Sight-read both rhythmic and melodic patterns.  This will show the teacher what she knows about musical literacy. Student has to have some reading ability in order to participate in Concentio.