Audition for LYC North East or London Youth Choir
Published 20 November 2024
Audition for LYC North East or London Youth Choir (Tenors and Basses)
We will be holding auditions in January for two of our choirs: LYC North East (year 3-6) and Tenors and Basses in London Youth Choir (year 10 – age 22)
The sign-up period for January auditions will close at midday on Monday 6 January 2025.
Who can audition?
January auditions are for two of our ten choirs:
LYC North East: School years 3-6. Rehearses on Thursdays from 4.30-5.30pm in Tottenham.
London Youth Choir: School year 10 to age 22. Rehearses on Mondays from 7.30-8.45pm in central London.
London Youth Choir auditions are for Tenors and Basses (lower voices) only. If you are unsure if this is you, please get in touch at [email protected].
How to sign up for an audition
To sign up for an audition, you will need to register with our portal. If you have any difficulty with this process, please click on the guidance document below, or watch the video by Freddie, our Membership & EDI Manager.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at [email protected] or on 07388 623 178 – we’ll be happy to help.
What happens in an audition?
This depends which choir you audition for:
LYC North East: You will join a small group singing workshop with a member of our music team. You won’t need to prepare anything in advance. You will be introduced to some simple songs, learn it together with the other singers in the group, and then demonstrate phrases in the group and on your own. The workshop will be fun and you can expect to get a taste for what actual LYC rehearsals are like. The audition will be just like a rehearsal, and will last one hour.
London Youth Choir: You will have an individual audition with a member of the music team and staff team, and will also take part in a rehearsal. For the audition, you should prepare and bring along a song that you love to sing – it can be any genre or style, and doesn’t need to be longer than a minute. You can sing it a cappella (unaccompanied) or with an accompaniment or backing track (if you would like to organise that).
After you have sung your song we ask you about what it means and why you have chosen it. We might ask you what singing you do, and what your musical aspirations are. We may also include some musical skills challenges, which will be appropriate to your level of experience. Your audition should take up to 10 minutes. You will also participate in a rehearsal, which will last just over an hour.
You can be in London Youth Choirs from school year 3 until the end of the academic year in which you turn 23.
You don’t need to have any previous experience of singing in choirs or groups. If you do sing already, it doesn’t matter what style you like to sing: there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ singer for a choir and we sing all sorts of music.
To join LYC you first need to audition. That might sound scary but we make a big effort to ensure that the experience is friendly and supportive. We won’t try to catch you out, we want to see and hear you at your best.
Auditions for junior choirs will be held in groups and will be just like a rehearsal, and auditions for Cambiata choirs, LYC Chamber Choir and London Youth Choir will be individual auditions as well as participation in a rehearsal.
Visit our ‘Join LYC‘ page to find out more about what happens during an audition.
As a member of LYC you will meet once a week during term-time for rehearsal. Rehearsals are always at the same time in the same place (these vary depending on which choir you audition for). At rehearsals you’ll learn and practice songs and skills, developing abilities and confidence as you go. Sometimes, we invite guest leaders to introduce different music and activities.
You will also get to take part in social activities and make new friends.
Other LYC membership benefits include your LYC t-shirt, all your music and access to our secure online members zone, MyLYC.
All auditions are free.
FINANCE SHOULD NOT BE A BARRIER TO PARTICIPATION IN LYC.
Annual membership starts at £430 (£36 a month). Membership fees go towards covering the cost of running the choirs. As a charity, LYC subsidises membership fees by around 60% of the true cost of membership through grants and fundraising.
LYC also has a comprehensive financial assistance scheme which offers full or partial help with membership costs, grants for travel to and from rehearsals and concerts, free concert tickets for families, and help with the cost of concert uniform. In 2023-24, we gave financial support to 30% of our membership.
There is so much to get out of being a member of LYC: vocal and musical skills and training, experience of concerts, recordings, music videos and amazing venues as well as life long friendships. Here is what some of our members have said about their experiences:
“It means a lot to me to join LYC and to be singing for thousands of people every year. I have fun every week at the rehearsals. I like seeing everyone and I love rehearsing for concerts, and to meet new faces and chat.” – current member
“Singing in LYC has been a pivotal experience in my development as a musician. As a young singer, LYC equipped me with the musicianship skills, versatility and confidence to go after my dream of becoming a professional singer. The friendships and connections I made with colleagues and mentors have been essential to my growth and I will always cherish the memories of our rehearsals and performances.” – former member
“Everyone has been very nice and welcoming. It’s the first choir I’ve been in and it’s a lot of fun. Loads of cool opportunities, and everyone is so kind and open to talk with” – current member
“LYC has given me back confidence I never knew I needed. It has introduced me to the best people I have ever met and taught me that its okay to be a choral music nerd. I look forward to every rehearsal all week and feel such a sense of belonging like I’ve never felt before. Everyone is so warm and welcoming and you feel like you can talk to everyone. The staff is incredible and are the best people.” – former member
