Our next round of open auditions for the 2025-2026 school year will take place August 24–26, 2025. Check back here in mid-August for more details and audition sign up!
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the William & Mary Choir! Auditions for the W&M Choir (MUSC E04), Barksdale Treble Chorus (MUSC E05), Botetourt Chamber Singers (MUSC E07), and Ebony Expressions Gospel Choir (MUSC E27) will be held August 24–26, 2025. Check back here in mid-August for more details and to sign up. For more information about the Choir and the audition process, email our Director, Mark Helms (mohelms@wm.edu) or our current President, Kyle Sharma (knsharma@wm.edu). The Choir rehearses Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 3:30 to 5:20 during the academic year.
For more information about the ensembles, please visit the Choral Ensembles page, as well as the websites of the Barksdale Treble Chorus and the Botetourt Chamber Singers.
Membership
Membership in these choirs is open to any student, and academic credit is given for participation (1 credit per semester). New members of these ensembles are selected only at the beginning of the fall semester as membership is considered a full year’s commitment. Exceptions are made for transfer students and others who arrive on campus in the spring semester.
Audition Overview
The approximately ten-minute audition will consist of vocalization, sight reading and a short conversation about your background and interest in music. A single audition allows you to be considered for any or all of the four choirs. You are not required to prepare an audition piece but are welcome to perform a song of your choosing if you wish (singing either unaccompanied or providing your own accompaniment).
Registration
Since all the departmentally-sponsored choirs (W&M Choir, Botetourt Chamber Singers, Barksdale Treble Chorus, and Ebony Expressions Gospel Choir) are auditioned, it is not possible for prospective members to register for these choirs in advance of the beginning of classes. Following auditions, all those who are offered and accept membership in the Choir will be given an instructor override to register. Those individuals then have until the end of the drop/add period to register themselves (drop/add lasts for about a week and half at the beginning of classes). For now, if you are interested in membership you should keep the class time slot for Choir open (MWF 3:30-5:20) in your schedule pending the results of auditions.