Auditions for New Chorus Members

Are you an enthusiastic and talented singer? Would you like the opportunity to perform some of the most exhilarating choral repertoire with internationally celebrated conductors, orchestras and soloists? Then audition to join the Edinburgh Festival Chorus.

The chorus is now auditioning for new members. We have scheduled auditions in Glasgow for 26 January and 2 February. To arrange an audition, please contact Helen MacLeod, Chorus Manager, chorus@eif.co.uk, 0131 473 2027.

Find out more about what it’s like to be a member of the chorus with this Festival backstage video or read the chorus blog Confessions of a Chorus Member

‘The Edinburgh Festival Chorus produced singing of extraordinary beauty and variety' The Herald, 2011

The Chorus rehearses with its Chorus Master Christopher Bell at The Hub in Edinburgh on Tuesday evenings from October to June and in August throughout the Festival period. 

We visited the Chorus during their first rehearsal of the 2012 programme and quizzed newcomers and veterans about why they were there and what they thought of singing with the group. 

With a current membership of approximately 120 singers from across Scotland, full time Chorus members automatically take part in all Festival concerts, touring and recording opportunities.  Where additional voices are required for large scale works, Christopher Bell has also established a list of extra singers for those who cannot commit to the full schedule.

The Edinburgh Festival Chorus has been at the heart of the Edinburgh International Festival since its foundation in 1965. Recent performances include Elgar's Dream of Gerontius with Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé (2009), Mahler's Symphony No. 3 with Mariss Jansons and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (2010), Liszt's Faust Symphony with Vladimir Jurowski and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin (both 2011).  

The Chorus has a wonderful creative relationship with the BBC SSO, joining the orchestra and its Chief Conductor Donald Runnicles for two performances of Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem in Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of their 75th anniversary season in February 2011; at the 2010 BBC Proms performing Mahler's Symphony No. 3, and most recently at the 2011 BBC Proms with Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé.

Christopher Bell, Chorus Master
Belfast born, Edinburgh based Christopher Bell is currently Chorus Director of the Grant Park Chorus, Chicago, USA and of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus. He was largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 1996 and has been its Artistic Director since then. In 2009 the Open University awarded him an Honorary Masters Degree for Services to the Arts.

Listen below to Christopher Bell as he reveals the rewards of life in the Edinburgh Festival Chorus.