Join the Choral Society of Durham
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​The Choral Society of Durham invites singers in our community who share our love of choral music to audition for our upcoming season. Auditions for new members in the fall are held the first and second Monday evenings in September or by appointment throughout the year. Use the audition form below to sign up and you will be contacted with a specific audition time that works for you.

Qualifications for acceptance include:

• The ability to learn music independently
• Accurate pitch
• Enough volume to be heard in a large choir
• The ability to blend well with other voices

​Once you have auditioned, you should attend all rehearsals until you receive the audition results, since any rehearsals missed before being accepted will count as absences. Audition results are normally sent by email after all auditions have been completed.
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​To schedule an audition, please complete and submit the audition form.
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View our Membership Policy.

Rehearsals

​​The Choral Society traditionally rehearses on Monday evenings during the concert season (September to May), from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Additional rehearsals may be scheduled during concert weeks and occasionally at other times during the semester.

As the 2024-2025 season begins, CSD strongly recommends that singers who wish to attend rehearsals in person be up to date on their COVID vaccinations. See the CDC's “When are you Up to Date?” document linked here for more information. Note that updates to multiple vaccines based on recent “FLiRT variants” are expected to be made available at some point this fall, with updated vaccines expected to be more effective against current strains of COVID. Consider consulting your primary care physician with any additional questions or concerns you may have.
 
While masking is not currently required, singers are always welcome to wear a mask in accordance with their personal level of risk tolerance. When community levels of COVID or other respiratory viruses are high, the Health Committee will strongly suggest, but not require, masking during rehearsal. Given that current COVID wastewater testing levels are in the 80-100th percentile, it is likely that masking will be strongly recommended at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season.
 
As always, singers are asked to stay home if they are experiencing any symptoms consistent with an upper respiratory illness and consider taking an at-home COVID test. Symptoms of current variants include fatigue, fever, body aches, chills, congestion, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headache, and loss of taste and/or smell. We recognize that rehearsing in person has tremendous appeal for many singers, but we also want to be very careful to protect everyone's health and be inclusive of the health needs and limitations of all members. 

Here's a taste of what our rehearsals are like, from a dress rehearsal for our Dec. 2019 Holiday Concert...

Dues

​​Dues for the 2024-25 season will be $170. Dues may be paid in 2 installments, September and January. Dues for new members joining in the spring of 2025 will be $85. Scholarship funds are available to members for whom payment of dues constitutes a hardship. You may request assistance by emailing us at [email protected] or calling the CSD office at 919-560-2733.

Returning Members

​Members in good standing are not required to re-audition each year, except at the conductor’s discretion. Members who have taken leave for two or more consecutive semesters must re-audition.

Members meeting all requirements (e.g., maintaining acceptable attendance) may return each semester without re-auditioning.

Visit our YouTube Channel to listen to us.