Auditions 2026-27 Season

The Rodolfus Choir is a leading UK youth choir for talented young singers aged 16-23. Many members of the choir will have attended one of the Rodolfus Choral Courses, but anyone can audition. Singers are then invited to sign up to a number of exciting events across the year for an annual subscription fee of £140 (financial support is available). There is no further cost for participating in each event, apart from for residential events. Our aim is to offer professional, high quality choral singing opportunities and to share the wonderful choral repertoire with diverse audiences across the UK and beyond.

Auditionees are encouraged to book a face-to-face audition at the Royal Academy of Music on Friday 28 August or Saturday 29 August 2026. For those unable to travel to London, online auditions are available on Zoom on Thursday 27 August 2026 instead.

Please visit our online booking page to book your audition.

The choir’s 2026-27 season will include a choral evensong at St John’s College, Cambridge on Saturday 19 September, a two day workshop in London during October half term, and the choir’s annual Christmas/New Year project (27-31 December) which will include a BBC evensong recording and a New Year’s Eve concert in London. Our Easter project will be a residential in York, which will include singing weekend services in York Minster on 3 & 4 April 2027. Full details of the Choir’s project schedule will be made available to successful applicants.

• You will be asked to perform 1-2 mins of an unaccompanied prepared piece of any style which you feel shows off your voice, and which you enjoy singing
• We will demonstrate and ask you to repeat some singing and listening exercises, and check your range
• You will be asked to undertake a short extract of sight-singing

• Choose an audition piece which you feel comfortable performing and which you know well. It is perfectly acceptable to choose a piece that normally has an accompaniment, so long as you are confident singing it unaccompanied on this occasion.
• If you don’t feel like sight-singing is a strength, there are lots of resources around to help you improve, including our very own course by Ralph Allwood, available here
• Make sure you allow plenty of time to travel to the audition venue

Do I have to pay to be a member of the choir?
There is an annual subscription fee of £140, which helps to cover the running costs of organising all of the events for the year. Subsequent projects are almost always free of charge, apart from residential projects. Financial support is available to those who need it to help with the subscription cost, and our Chris Bennie Fund can make grants to help with the cost of travel to attend choir events. If you’d like to discuss financial assistance, please contact the choir’s Assistant Director, Peter Davis, in confidence.

How old do I have to be?
You must be 16 by the 1st September 2026.

Can I sing a non-classical piece in my audition?
We enjoy all styles of music at The Rodolfus Choral Foundation. It is worth considering that we are listening to hear whether your voice will perform well as part of a cohesive group, and you should choose a piece which allows us to hear healthy vocal technique.

Why do you have a sight-singing test?
Sight-singing is a really important skill for any choral singer, especially when you have limited rehearsal time as often occurs on Rodolfus projects.

When and where do the choir rehearse?
The choir meets for short projects (1-5 days) throughout the year, usually in Central London. The timetable is planned to allow for commutes from locations outside London, usually not starting before 10am and finishing by 7pm.

Do you provide accommodation?
We aren’t able to provide accommodation for all our choir events, apart from the York residential in 2027. Members often find places to stay with fellow choir members, and if this is likely to be a barrier to your attending, we will always do our best to help find a solution.

How many events do I need to attend per year?
We expect Rodolfus Choir members to attend as many events as they are able across the academic year to make the most of the opportunity of being in the choir, with a minimum expectation of attendance at at least one event every season. If you have not attended an event by the end of the season, you may need to re-audition to remain a member of the choir.

If you have questions which are not answered above please contact the choir’s Assistant Director, Peter Davis.